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Old 04-22-2005, 07:19 AM   #33
RockyMtnRay
TrailManor Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 816
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PopBeavers
I don't like the McKesh mirrors. They vibrate. Based on comments from others I was expecting the vibration to be zero. This is what the factory mirrors deliver. At the race I checked out a similar truck that had the factory extendable mirrors. They are worthless. Extended out to the maximum setting they were still 3 inches too far in when compared to the distance I had selected for my McKesh mirrors. At least with the McKesh mirrors I could see behind me. It was just annoying that they jiggled so much. Also, the installation instructions don't warn you to loosen the three screws at the bottom of the mirror. The first time I attempted to adjust the mirror it cracked the glass. After loosening the mirror I could adjust it. However, it is difficult to find a screw tightness that is loose enough to allow adjusting the mirror and tight enough that it doesn't vibrate out of the adjusted position. This will become very annoying when we go on longer trips and alternate drivers. Every time we change drivers we will need to readjust the mirrors, which will require the use of an angled screw driver. I also don't think the bolt that attaches the mirror to the extension bracket should have arrived rusted. They should be bolts that can tolerate rain etc. Perhaps they should be stainless steel or galvanized. Not just cheap junk bolts with black paint on them. These bolts also wiggle loose. Maybe some locktite will help. The split ring washer was inadequate to hold one mirror in place. Driving home solo at freeway speed in heavy traffic I suddenly found that the passenger side mirror had swiveled so far out that I could not even see the glass mirror at all.
Hmmmm....never have had any vibration problems with my McKesh. The nylon strap has to be very, very tight though. Have had some problems with the mirror mounting bolts twisting loose...but a bit of wrenching solved that. Not sure what to say about the other adjustment issues as I'm the sole driver of my rig.
Quote:
Batteries don't last long. I have two group 24 batteries. For Wednesday and Thursday nights we ran only one florescent light fixture each evening, except for brief intervals when looking for something. The furnace was used for half an hour Wednesday night and a little more Thursday night. The stereo was on 4 to 6 hours each day. By Friday morning it was showing Fair instead of Good. It wasn't clear to me that when I should charge the batteries, so I charged them Friday. Using the meter built into the TM how can you determine when you have reached the maximum recommended discharge level and know that it is NECESSARY to start the generator to charge them? I don't want to damage the battery from too much discharge and I also don't want to start the generator unnecessarily. Gotta figure that one out somehow.
If the TM battery gauge is on "F" after the battery voltage has had time to stablize (about 15 minutes with no electrical use), then you have only about 30% of capacity left and its definitely time to recharge. Taking those RV/Marine type batteries below 30% charge will definitely shorten their life. I doubt you can stand to run the generator long enough (it would need to run for about 8 hours) to overcharge the batteries.

I would bet the stereo was what was killing your battery time...typical car stereos use 2 to 5 amps (or more) of current even at moderate listening levels. At 5 amps that would equal 30 amp-hours per day...which is a heckuva lot. Learn to live without tunes more of the time if you want more battery life.
Quote:
I learned that the fridge can freeze tomatoes. It looks like if the daytime high is around 80 and the overnight low is below freezing then there is no single setting for the fridge that will work. So until I figure out a better way I will need to crank it up in the morning to a very cold setting and then set it back to a warmer setting when I go to bed. I want cold beer at high noon and I also don't want anything to freeze overnight.
Don't you know you should NOT refrigerate tomatoes. Most produce people will tell you it kills the flavor, the nutrients, the texture.

That being said, I have no problems keeping the beer quite cold, the ice cream frozen, and the delicate lettuce from NOT freezing. And I don't have to continually re-adjust the refrigerator temperature either even though I allow the trailer interior to drop into the low 50s at night and rise into the low 80s during the day. The trick is to use a fridge fan (as you are apparently using) and leave LOTS of room around objects in the fridge to allow the fan to readily circulate the air. Don't try to cram a lot of food into the fridge...even with a fridge fan you will get spots that are too cold and others that too warm. It also helps enormously to have a Fridge Alarm to be able to precisely monitor internal temps of the refer compartment and to sound an alarm if it gets hotter or colder than you want. I set my Fridge alarms for 45 degrees on the high side and 35 degrees on the low side and seldomly ever have an alarm go off with the refer control set at about "3" (Dometic refer).
__________________
Ray

I use my TM as a base camp for hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and climbing Colorado's 14ers


The Trailer: 2002 TM Model 2720SL ( Mods: Solar Panels (170 Watts), Dual T-105 Batteries, Electric Tongue Jack, Side AC, Programmable Thermostat, Doran TP Monitor System)

The Tow Vehicle: 2003 Toyota Tundra V8 SR5 4X4 w/Tow Package (Towing & Performance Mods: JBA Headers, Gibson Muffler, 4.30 gears, Michelin LTX M/S Tires, Prodigy Brake Controller, Transmission Temperature Gauge)


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