rynosback

I feel a little left out as it is only going to be 50 and rainy today at Jojoba Hills. MERRY CHRISTMAS and I hope that everyone’s travels are even better in 2020.

I hope not as I LOVE my Mobley. I’ve kept the sim in the Mobley just Incase they don’t cancel my plan.

This was posted on Hughes’s website: Run Your Autoformer With Confidence – A Note Regarding NFPA70 First, the NFPA 2020 proposal is not law, it is not a regulation, it has no legal authority. The NFPA is a civilian-run organization that publishes suggested safety regulations, which may or may not be adopted at some point by governmental agencies. So, who’s is trying to ban a product that has saved RVers literally millions of dollars? Who wants to eliminate a product that has made RVing safer and more enjoyable? Who’s trying to tell over 150,000 Hughes users and the American RVer they can’t protect themselves? The latest effort to ban ‘autotransformers’ is being pushed by board members of the NFPA and a competitor. One’s an executive of national campground sites, the other sells electrical equipment to RV parks and the third person spreading around misinformation is a competitor company. Why this guy? Probably because we’ve introduced a product that is far superior to their old surge protection units. The Power Watchdog. People are out to serve their own interests rather than those of the American RVer. Technically the NFPA has been recommending ‘autotransformers’ be banned since 1971, so this latest publicity stunt is nothing new. Fortunately, the NFPA board is only an advisory committee and up till now, no one has taken their advice! First thing, the Hughes Autoformer is not an ‘autotransformer’, (more on this later). But for simplicity’s sake, we are appealing this recommendation anyway and it will probably be repealed once and for all. Science and logic will win over ridiculousness and greed. Secondly, their claim is false on its face. These NFPA board members say autotransformers cause, “…severe additional stress to surrounding electrical infrastructure not accounted for in the load calculations…” Now, to the science. Let’s say a park owner “calculated” for ten campsites, for ten 50amp coaches, for ten 50amp breakers, how can the Hughes Autoformer place “severe additional stress” when no site can draw more than the “calculated” 50 amps because there’s a 50 amp breaker? You get 10% more power on whatever resistive load is running (Ohm’s law). However, on a modern RV 90% or more of the loads are inductive (air conditioning motors, microwaves, pumps). If the park customer is using 8,000 watts and 10% is resistive, that’s 800 resistive watts, the Autoformer boosts that 10%, that’s 80 watts extra out of an 8,000-watt draw, only 1% more! Hardly “severe additional stress”. If only one of the above mentioned 10 RVs had an Autoformer, that’s .001% more than his neighbors in the park. And again, ultimately no one can get more than the park owners “calculated” because of the park breakers. Ridiculousness! The simple fact is, park owners don’t want to talk about low voltage or explain to their customers why the guy with the Hughes Autoformer still is burning bright and has AC running cool when everyone else is suffering a brownout. All voltages sag when the RVers have their ACs and other necessities running. Things start getting damaged at 108 volts and lower. Most surge protectors shut down at 102 -4 volts. Meanwhile, the Hughes Autoformer is changing unusable high amps-low volts into usable high volts-low amps, thus saving equipment and blowing at least 25% more AC air. Rather than having to explain why some RVs are still working, the park owner would rather everyone suffer equally and most importantly, suffer in silence. Woodall’s Campground Management magazine mentions the proposed rule this way, “This action helps RV park owners prohibit their use (autotransformers) by having a code article to point to”. By the way, by providing unusable power, a park owner can save thousands of dollars a year. Autoformers can actually save power in the park. With the Hughes Autoformer, everything runs more efficiently. AC units pump out at least 25% more air flow with a 10% voltage boost (search amp curves vs motors). This extra airflow allows the AC units to cycle on and off more often than their low voltage neighbors. Because the Hughes user’s AC is off more often, they may be using the least amount of power in the park. The NFPA is a safety committee. RVers are far safer when their appliances and cables are not overheating due to low volts and excessive amperage. The final kicker, the NFPA recommends banning autotransformers, the Hughes Autoformer is not even an autotransformer It’s called the Hughes “Autoformer”, not the Hughes autotransformer. It’s a transformer that “automatically” boosts your voltage when needed, thus the combination of the words auto and transformer. An autotransformer has a single winding inside and the Hughes product has four windings, a different technology entirely. So, if someone looks at your grey box and says autotransformers are banned, tell them no, some board members recommend they not be connected. Secondly, you have a Hughes Autoformer which is not banned because it’s not an autotransformer.

“not allowed under the national electrical code.” If this statement is really true, you would think that Hughes would not be able to make them and sell them.

To me it is about picking the floor plan, length and something that fits into the budget. As any experienced full timer can tell you, that all rigs have issues. Maybe it’s the name, maybe it was the day it was made on? There are so many variables that go into that. I read that Teatons were a VERY well built rig. It does not seem to matter as they are out of business. So there is a see saw between price and quality. Sometimes that means nothing as I said above. Every manufacture makes a good rig, the question is, is it the one you bought?

I have a 50 amp hard wired Progressive Industries unit. Would not be with out it. I even carry a Hughs Autoformer for low voltage citations. Between the two, my rigs electronics and anything I plug in is as safe as can be.

I have made it south. Trying to deal with Goodyear soon, as it has been raining quit a bit and more rain is expected.

Prorated my tires with a $170 cost to me.

As long as they cost under $170 to replace a tire, I will stay with Goodyear. If one would separate they will cover the damage that the tire causes. I do not know of any other tire manufacture that will do that.

Drive safe Clay. I just put my spare on yesterday as I did not like the way the tire was looking. Once I finish traveling South also, I will go to a Goodyear store.

I have been using Channel Masters DVR for almost 5 years now. Works great. https://www.channelmaster.com/OTA_DVR_s/336.htm I use a Firestick now to watch most of my shows. But then you will have a data concern not to mention how the signal is where you are. The more things you have in your arsenal the better you will be.

Who knows if it will keep rising. If I ever knew that I would never have looses on stocks. All of my picks would be winners.

Tell me about it. I should have dumped most of my pot stocks. But it is a long term investment. But as you said my Curaleaf stock has held up the best. I bought some Target about 6 months ago and it has done quite well.

I agree completely. Not to mention that his shower head, faucets, toilet, not just the flap but the water ports and even the drainage system will last longer as it will not get the build up that hard water gives. And your skin will thank you as a bonus.

Wow, 90 views and no one is there? Guess I will try the Escapees Facebook also.

Glad to hear that they stepped up and fixed your rig. I had heard that some people were covered over a year and others paid the full amount to have the newer jacks replaced.

Did they warranty it?

Oh ya they are aware of it. From what I understand Lippert has been retrofitting rigs everyday for the past couple of years. Not to mention another well known place named Roberts that has been rebuilding them one a day for a couple of years. Just naming two places that have been doing it. What you here is , your out of the one year warranty. And I heard that there are some failure rates even on the new styled jacks. This is why it is important to call NHTSA and file a complaint. It will force them to do the right thing.

Even walking with a cell phone is an issue. https://www.rd.com/culture/texting-and-walking-injuries/

I bought the 1200. Very minor difference, electric start and the side tables.

Weber Q hands down. I’ve had mine for about a year now and LOVE it.

Now that is funny.

So sorry, I started it as a comparison as in my opinion they both will have health issues. Both being 5g and vaping. back to 5G

Well, I joined the “My jacks are FALLING club” in early October. Not just was the nose dropping when the coach was parked, but the front jacks also started dropping when fully retracted. Now, it was not safe to travel as I feared the jacks falling in transit. This is what I came up with, and it works. Parts needed: 2 band clamps (3 1/2”-3 13/16”) (Part #4564670 at Ace Hardware) 2 hex nuts (AHF 1/2” at Home Depot) 2 washers, large enough to slip over the through bolt (I believe they are 7/16”) 2 two foot chains (880 lbs working load) 2 padlocks Installation: 1. Disassemble the band clamp to get it around the leg. Reassemble the band clamp. ***You may need to trim the foam to expose enough outer tube. 2. Put the second chain link between the band clamp and the outer tube. Tighten the band clamp. ***The band clamp will become distorted around the chain link. 3. Install washer, then nut on the through bolt. Tighten. ***This protects the threads on the through bolt. The washer gives the chain a guide. 4. Repeat with the other leg. When getting ready to travel: 1. Retract landing gear. 2. Keep the through bolt of the landing gear (where the washer and nut were added) fairly close to where the chain drops down. 3. Wrap the chain under the though bolt and between the inner tube and the metal foot pad. Make sure you wrap it tight. This is so the chain will keep the inner tube from dropping. 4. Make two full wraps around the leg. Use a padlock to secure the chain. Be sure to go through the chain link closest to the band clamp and the link closest to that link after you have wrapped it twice. The goal is to create as much tension as you can. When you are at your destination: 1. Retract the front jacks to take the tension off the chain and padlock. 2. Remove the lock and unwrap the chain. So far, I have traveled 1100 miles with this modification, and it has been holding the jacks. **Be prepared for the jacks to drop down a couple of inches until the chain is under full tension. FYI I tried a cable, but it snapped as it could not handle the load of the falling jacks. I also picked up 2 (3 1/2”) exhaust clamps as backups. I like the band clamp over the exhaust clamp as it gives me a wider grab. I was concerned the exhaust clamp might crimp the outer tube and cause friction of the inner tube. Hope this helps and safe travels.

Well I guess that we/I will have to agree to disagree. I never mind a good debate as you can learn a lot. But for some reason I’m not able to communicate to you effectively that you understand what I’m saying.