Kirk W

While I'm not familiar with the interiors of an A-Liner, I am very familiar with the R-Pod as we very seriously considered one of them when we left the fulltime lifestyle and returned to part-time. The first point is that all of them that I have ever seen have a wet bath. They are also very short on storage space and several other issues that caused us to move on. We did buy a KZ Sportsman, Classic in an ultra-lite model that is 19' long and that has a GVWR of 4000#. I think that you probably could safely tow one like ours but having towed ours with a V6 powered SUV for the first 3 years and while it did the job, it was very impacted by high winds and so was a bit tiring to travel with. Realize also that there are several factors that influence the practicality of a trailer for towing with a specific vehicle besides weight. Length and amount of frontal area also play a major factor in drag and wind caused handing issues.

Welcome to the Escapee forums! While I do have an extensive electrical background, that information makes me suspect that you are getting some false readings, but to be sure we need to use a volt/ohm meter to take some good readings. If you have a meter, start by lifting the negative cables from each of your batteries and then take a voltage reading between the posts of each one. That is the only way to know for sure what the batteries read, but since you can start the engines, they have to be higher than 10V. Once you know what the battery voltages are, take readings with the batteries out of the circuit to know what your 120V/12V converter is supplying to the system. You could also replace those negative battery cables and unhook the shore power and take readings again. You can take a voltage reading inside from a 12V power plug and I would also check your shore power voltage at one of the 120V outlets just to verify what you have there. Come back and we will do our best to help pin down what is happening.

Welcome to the Escapee forums! I am pleased to hear that you did locate an RV inspector and will be very interested to see the report on how it goes. I have been busy and should have gotten back to you to suggest use of a mobile RV tech if no inspector was found, so am really glad you did locate an inspector. Wishing you the best result!

I finally found some specifications that you need for the truck that you have. By digging about the internet I was finally able to locate the specifications for a 1997, GMC Sierra, 4.3L V-6 truck. It seems to have the same weight ratings with either the 5 speed manual or the automatic transmission. This means that you should not consider any trailer that will exceed 7000# when fully loaded for travel with all tanks full and that it would be wise to limit yourself to a travel trailer that has a GVWR between 5000 & 6000#.

Since this is a wireless camera system, let us know how it works out after you travel some with it. I believe that they have improved but some still have doubts about their reliability with RF interference.

This thread is not about what to call the current problem illness or where it came from or who is at fault. Please let's discuss the subject at hand which is returning to RV travel and in what way or with what precautions. Are you considering plans for the summer, fall, winter, or when? What precautions do you plan to take, if any?

Remember that all of these weights that we are speaking of are designed limits and they do not have to add up to equal GVWR. To put it another way, the GVWR is the amount that you would see on a scale when your truck is sitting on it but does not include the weight on the axle of the trailer. It does include the weight that is added to the truck by the downward pressure of the trailer that is attached to it, or what the RV will list as the hitch weight. When you weigh the truck to see what it will weigh, it must include you and everything that will be in it when you go somewhere. Just as when you weigh yourself you weigh least when nude, more when dressed, even more when you fill your pockets and more yet if you have on a full backpack. The weight that you will carry on a hike includes all of those things, not what you weigh nude. The axles are designed to carry more than half of the weight allowed because it would be very unusual for the load to be evenly distributed. The rear axle of a truck will always have a higher limit than the front because the truck bed is designed to carry extra weight. The same axles may be used in more than one model of truck and so they often have design limits that exceed those of the total truck. The GVWR is based not only on the axles, but also the brakes, suspension, engine, transmission, and a several other factors that do not impact axle ratings. You can safely put 3686# on the rear axle of you truck, so long as the total weight of the loaded truck with everyone in it and a full tank of fuel does not exceed 6100#, meaning no more than 2400# on the front axle. When you look at the weight of trailer that you can safely tow, that figure is not on the label that you posted but should be in your owner's manual. Your truck has a maxim tow rating weight and also a gross combined weight rating, GCWR. To know what you can safely tow with your truck you need to load it as you will when you travel with it and then get it weighed. Whatever that weight is, you then subtract that from the truck's GCWR to learn the most your trailer should weigh. All RVs have a GVWR weight somewhere on them and that is what you then compare to the ratings of the truck. The label that you posted a picture of only addresses what your truck can weigh and has no indication of what you can safely tow. Keep in mind also that we are speaking of the designed maximum limits, not of the ideal weights for constant use. Experienced truck owners will tell you that for good handling and comfortable travel you should plan your towing load for somewhere around 80% of the upper limits as a typical, every day load.

Just to let you know, Melanie Carr (wife of Travis, Escapee's president) posted on Facebook that her dad is now hospitalized with covid-19 and in very serious condition. I just hope that people continue to social distance and wear masks as things begin to open and that doing so makes the spread continue to decline. We had hoped to travel but now are considering a short visit to family in Kansas come July, when we will be staying out on a farm. But we still and not sure if we will travel at all. How much risk can we accept? I just do not know.

What makes you say that? The zip code is correct, but I agree with Two Gypsies that she should remove it.

GVWR is gross vehicle weight rating and that is the maximum amount of weight that should ever be carried by your truck. The 6100 is pounds and the second figure is kilograms. GAWR is gross axle weight rating and that is the maximum weight that should ever be on the front and rear axles. These are also the reason that truck scales weigh the axles separately as all vehicle have such ratings and commercial trucks also deal with weight limits set by law and enforced on them. I have never heard of any RV being stopped and weighed on the highways and we are not required (or welcome) to pass through the truck scales on the highways. There are two more weights that you need to take a look at and they are GCWR (gross combined weight rating) and the maximum towing weight. Those should be in the owner's manual for the truck.

Like most members of these forums, we have been holed up waiting for the covid-19 to decline and restrictions to be lifted. We are now beginning to see states loosen restrictions and reopen parks with attractions soon to follow. As part-time RVers we have more latitude than many about traveling, but whether part-time or full-time, the question remains. At what point do we resume our normal lifestyle? To me, it seems to be an issue of how much risk are we willing to take? We both happen to fall into the higher risk group, being in our 70's and with some health issues so for us the risk degree seems very high. I am thinking that this will be something that each of us must figure out, but a discussion of the issue might prove helpful to everyone. For us, we have only begun to weigh the issue and have no conclusions but wonder what others are thinking?

The answer depends not only on which state but also where in that state. Each state has laws about when you much register a vehicle in their state as well as getting your driving license and the two are usually the same. But not all areas enforce the state laws with the same amount of aggressiveness. Usually I have found the time to be around 6 months continuous time in state, or 30 to 90 days if you are employed in a full-time, permanent job. Areas with a large tourist or snowbird economy tend to be less inclined to enforce such laws.

Welcome to the Escapee forums. You may not get much action on this post since it was more than 2 years ago, but we are still happy to have you with us.

A wet bath is basically a compact shower with the toilet and sink inside to save space in the RV. See the picture for an example. You go inside and close the door to use it. There are small trailers available used in the $10k range but you need someone who is experienced with RV use and operation to help you look at them. You won't find any of the fiberglass RVs like Scamp or Casita in good condition for that price but you might find something by KZ, Jayco, or several others that are 5 years or so old for that money. Truck scales like those at truck stops, give weight of each axle and total. You definitely need to do this.If it bothers you, tell the salesperson exactly what you are doing. If not busy many of them will try to help, but just keep in mind that many sales people are short on knowledge and may try to rush you into buying, so be careful. That doesn't change anything as you level an RV by driving/towing it on to blocks under the wheels on the low side. Look for a mobile RV technician. Tell them what you want as many are happy to do this.

The answer depends on how the running lights are wired, but if that does work it will mean that the camera will turn on and off with those lights. Your camera needs a source of +12V and the other should be chassis ground. The wire to your running lights should be one +12 and the other ground but I have see running light groups in series as well. I would first remove the center light and use a volt/ohm meter to verify that you have the +12 & ground needed before I did anything more. Do the instructions say which camera lead is which?

I doubt that you could win a suit based on that since state parks are provided for recreation and not to provide places for us to live.

I think that many states, if not most have some sort of similar incentive for drivers to take a defensive driving course. I know that TX does have a similar law that applies to all drivers.

Try to get there by late May or early June as you shouldn't miss the black-fly season!

I wonder if she has read all of the responses that have been given? She ast signed in on Wednesday at 6:30 pm. It would be nice if she commented.....

When I go to Amazon Prime it has a note that priority shipping has been set aside for healthcare supplies.

You have two states to deal with as buying in CO will make you subject to their laws on vehicle purchasing and registering in TX will bring the laws there into play. I suggest that you start by calling the Polk County vehicle registration office ((936) 327-6801) and tell them about you plans and they will be happy to guide you. They may also know what the laws on sales tax and such are in CO. Nowadays, some states require vehicle dealers to collect sales tax for that state on all vehicle sales, while others do not. It has been some years since I last bought a vehicle outside of TX and registered it here, but when I did so the selling dealer didn't collect any sales tax and I then had to pay the TX sales tax at the time of registration. If CO does collect sales tax, you will probably only pay any portion of tax for TX that exceeds what CO charges and Polk Co. can explain all of that to you. Your dealer should be able to tell you what CO requires and if they will then charge you CO sales tax. There is a good chance that they will not take care of getting it registered for you as most dealers only do so in state or with adjacent states. Since I have dealt with TX in a situation like yours but never have done so in CO, this is the best advice that I can give.

Check out the information on truck selection from Changin Gears website.

You don't say what year model it is but assuming new, it looks like a gross weight just under 9000# so you are figuring correctly. As you shop you need to check to see what the maximum combined weight allowed is as well as the maximum towing weight. You can probably get by with a 150/1500 truck or possibly one of the larger SUV's but make sure. It budge allows, more tow vehicle is always better. With a trailer that is nearly 30' long you need to be concerned about the tow vehicle wheelbase as well. I suggest that you spend some time reading the information this link to Changin Gears website.

Get a copy of the Atwood Water Heater service manual from Bryant RV Service. Then use your volt/ohm meter to figure out which leads are +12, -12, and AC leads.

We got our "presidential letter" today. I'll not comment further since political discussions are forbidden here, and with good reason. 🙄