Karebru's 7x16 Build Log

[flboy]

Airbags help the ride and the bouncing which should help handling, but really don't change loading.. The Weight Distribution Hitch and airbags together really do the best. They compliment.

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[Karebru]

Airbags help the ride and the bouncing which should help handling, but really don't change loading.. The Weight Distribution Hitch and airbags together really do the best. They compliment.

Sounds like you've experimented with the combination.
Something else I read that made sense to me was that if you're going to put pressure in the shocks, it should be done before adjusting the weight distribution system, as adding air afterwards diminishes the effect of the hitch.
And then they added a warning that if you were to suddenly loose pressure in the shocks on the road, the hitch would become dangerously over adjusted.
Pretty dramatic... In my thinking, if you're relying on both these systems so heavily that they are both maxed out, you've got bigger problems. Like a totally inappropriate tow vehicle and trailer combination. Shouldn't reliance on them really be limited to tweaking and improving ride and handling?
This is all new to me. The couple of miles I've driven so far with the WDH impressed me.

[flboy]

I agree... I was close maxing out my F-150 in terms of what I felt safe with and I was concerned on the legal end with all the ambulance chasers out there. I was close to capacity on hitch weight and truck loading with all my gear and hitch weight. The truck had no problem with it and I pulled it over the country.. having said that.. I felt braking was inadequate on the very steep grades. Power and gearing was good with the V8.. but Airbags and WDH were needed.

That is why I sold the F-150 and bought the 2020 F-250. No questions.. it is underloaded and braking is much more responsive.. funny thing is I am building a smaller trailer now too! LoL

I use the WDH on the F250 and have Timbren SES system installed. Neither is really needed with just the CTC, but I always like to have a large margin. Having said that, the Timbren SES does help sway.. I put thier equivalent ( SumoSprings) on the CTC also and it is so much more stable in high crosswinds. Very noticeable improvement.

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[Karebru]

Update:
We did our Ft Myers Beach trip a few weeks ago. The little window rattler, AC worked like a champ. It was 90-ish during the day, at a site with very little shade. Our old beagle slept comfortably while we were down the road visiting with family. When we returned in the evening and the sun set, it was a struggle to keep it from freezing us out.
If there's such a thing as thermostat controllers that run cheap window units, I need to learn about them.

[flboy]

Update:
We did our Ft Myers Beach trip a few weeks ago. The little window rattler, AC worked like a champ. It was 90-ish during the day, at a site with very little shade. Our old beagle slept comfortably while we were down the road visiting with family. When we returned in the evening and the sun set, it was a struggle to keep it from freezing us out.
If there's such a thing as thermostat controllers that run cheap window units, I need to learn about them.

I will let you know how this works. It should work fine. Control the AC from the power outlet. I am putting one in my new build with a 5000BTU GE with analog controls.

[Karebru]

Keep us posted.

[Bezoar]

How many amps is it rated for? That cord looks thin for running an AC.

[flboy]

That cord is the thermocouple wire. In my case, the AC and power cord are in an enclosed shroud and closet, so I want a thermocouple I can place in the cabin where I am. They make a model with thermocouple in power outlet if your AC is plugged into Wall in room. In that case, no wire.


This plugs directly into power outlet and device ( air conditioner) plugs into it. Specification says it is good for up to 1500W. 5000Btu AC is much less than that. Around 450W so it should be fine.

I actually have one on the way to test out. I'll let all know if it works. If it does, it is a cheap solution.

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[onehoser]

this is what i use, i'm very happy with it.




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[flboy]

Nice. I didn't know these existed until this week. I was just going to wire in a house thermostat into the window unit, but this is obviously more simple and actually less expensive than a house thermostat. Like the fact I don't have to modify the window unit's electrical controls.

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[Karebru]

That cord is the thermocouple wire. In my case, the AC and power cord are in an enclosed shroud and closet, so I want a thermocouple I can place in the cabin where I am. They make a model with thermocouple in power outlet if your AC is plugged into Wall in room. In that case, no wire.


This plugs directly into power outlet and device ( air conditioner) plugs into it. Specification says it is good for up to 1500W. 5000Btu AC is much less than that. Around 450W so it should be fine.

I actually have one on the way to test out. I'll let all know if it works. If it does, it is a cheap solution.

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Thanks, Don, Hoser
I went to bed last night wondering about that. My AC plugs in behind the refrigerator. I'd need the remote sensor wire.
I'm assuming that what these do is simply connect and disconnect the power to the AC as it reads the room temperature?

[flboy]

That's exactly what they do. Perfect to work with the analog controls. Just leave the AC in on position and turn thermostat to coldest. The outlet will switch power on and off as needed. In this case, it will also kill the fan.. which I wanted also..

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[Karebru]

I was telling the wife about this.
Our AC is pretty loud. Having something running continuously isn't a problem for her, but she thinks that if it cycled during the night, it would always wake her up. Me? I'm more than 3/4 deaf. So...
I still think it would be a nice thing to have. Even if we set it to run continuous when the lights go out.
Just give me an extra blanket.

[onehoser]

i haven’t used it with my a/c yet and probably won’t since we only use the a/c to knock down the heat and humidity before bedtime, then we shut it down. but it works great for the space heater, well worth the money (a lot less in usd)

[Karebru]

They're never really finished, are they.
After our fourth long weekend trip in our camper, we decided we're very happy with it, except for the sleeping arrangements.
After 41 years of sleeping side by side in the same bed, the sentiment is still there, but the old bodies need to be able to make bathroom visits in the middle of the night without having to climb over the top of each other.

Through the building processes, I bounced around several ideas for bunk arrangements. What I ended up with worked well for what it was, but we both agree that we need to be able to just sit up, put our feet on the floor, and stand up.

So... It's back to the original plan of split fold-up bunks with an aisle down the middle.



On the road, our mattresses ride on edge, between the cabinets up front. So I didn't need to allow for their thickness when hinging the bed platforms. This really opened up the cargo area, compared to the old set up.
(I need to make a cover for the water tank surround.)



I used face mount, french door bolts to hold the bunks in the fold-up position.



And, just to make sure a bump on the road doesn't cause the bolt to jump out of the hole... (Me thinks I worry too much.)



We're going to try it out this weekend...
Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring.
We enjoyed it so much last month that we're going back. Same site, and everything.
...Maybe howl at the full moon a little bit.