Tent Trailers: Pop-up Camping

Top 885. Sep 18, 2000 6:13 PM

» ChuckGoldsmith - battery

the van will keep the bat charged when connected , if the van is hooked up , both battries could run down. I always disconnect van when camping. Palimino address is www.paliminorv.com they might be able to send a manual for your camper. A 12 volt heater will run down your battery real quick. Mine is 120 v. For camping where 120v is not available , propane is the way to go. chuck

-- posted by ChuckGoldsmith

Top 886. Sep 18, 2000 9:53 PM

» JimGailJJ - Realllly scared... need advice

Labor Day weekend we were returning from a great week end with our Starcraft. We tow with a 1996 Ford Explorer that we recently purchased. When we were approaching traffic stopped at a signal my husband began to stop and all of a sudden the engine began to accelerate on its own. He was barely able to keep it from running into the stopped traffic. He shut off the engine because it was the only way to get it to stop. When traffic moved he started again and we had no problems the rest of the way home (126 miles). When we pulled up in front of the house he went to shift into park and it began to accelerate again. We have had this happen twice before and the dealer said they had never heard of it before.
Has anyone out there ever heard of this happening before or are we just losing our minds?
Desperate!!!!!

Gail

-- posted by JimGailJJ

Top 887. Sep 19, 2000 7:27 AM

» NanseyB - Ford Explorer

I talked with my husband, who was a Ford mechanic for 25 years. He said it sounds like a computer problem. If you have no luck with one Ford dealer, do not give up until you find one who will help you. If that is the only Ford dealer in the area (you can also go to a Lincoln/Mercury dealer), then because this is a safety concern, you should insist that someone find out what it is and fix it or give you a loaner. You can also reach Ford Motor Company online yourself and try to get some help. If the dealer is pressured by Ford to help you, they should jump to attention.

My husband did say he ran across this problem before but only during acceleration. He said it was a broken motor mount. He did say, however, that it does not sound like the problem you are having.

Don't be afraid to make noise. The ones who do get their problems solved. I would not hesitate to make a lot of noise over something that might cause your family harm.

Just as a note, we own a Ford Explorer and love it, so I hope you get your car fixed and running the way it should - and get out camping again! Nancy

-- posted by NanseyB

Top 888. Sep 19, 2000 9:26 AM

» Cabrales - Battery power

Okay, based on past responses I gather that a pop-up battery would run down very quickly if I tried to use a 120v ceramic heater. It won't run the AC either. So is there a reason to have a battery? If all I need it for is to run the little lights inside the trailer, wouldn't I be better off just installing some of those stick on battery operated lights they sell at WalMart?

-- posted by Cabrales

Top 889. Sep 19, 2000 7:40 PM

» morgoth - The need for a battery on board?

If you ever get the propane heater installed, you'll need that battery to run the fan on the heater. It's nice to have if it's a chilly night (we had a few too many up here in Canada already this summer). It's nice as well to have a stationary light to switch on right away when entering the camper in the dark. Having only the lights and the furnace fan and maybe the radio to run, we don't bother with the 120V hook up (costs 5 bucks extra a night in a Provincial park which adds up if you camp more than a month) so we use the overhead lights for a brief time in the evening when we first come into the trailer after camp fire. Using them somewhat sparingly (no more than say half an hour at night, one at a time) and charging the battery in between trips, we never had a problem with battery failure. We'd usually camp 11-14 days at a time. This was our first experience camping in a trailer this summer and this system worked pretty good for us. Those little battery operated camp lamps are good to compliment the on board battery run lights as well if you don't run with electricity.
Pop ups are sooooooooooo much better than tenting. It made our camping experience with 2 children a billion times better!
Great site...I've been reading since last spring.

-- posted by morgoth

Top 890. Sep 19, 2000 10:03 PM

» Tom_Stephens - Batteries

Folks, I wouldn't pull out of my driveway without my two 6V Deep Cell batteries! You need a battery for your water pump, furnace blower, radio, 12 volt TV, the wife's hair dryer, lights, and much more. We have two large solar panels on the roof that keeps my batteries charged while we are camping plus they recharge while we drive. We can dry camp for a very long time with this setup, and enjoy the comforts of home!

Yours,

-- posted by Tom_Stephens

Top 891. Sep 20, 2000 9:52 PM

» Everettfolks - Coleman sagging roof

My wife just attended an RV show where the Coleman dealer said that the sagging roof problem was fixed by putting an extra bracket in the roof in 1996 and newer. If you are the original owner of an older model you might see if the dealer will put in the extra bracket at no cost to you.

-- posted by Everettfolks

Top 892. Sep 21, 2000 11:31 AM

» attitude - coleman roof

I just had a new roof put on my 2000 Coleman Utah. They may say that the problem is fixed but I'm not so sure. It is much better though. I have seen some older models that looked like canoes going down the road. You couldn't really see the bow in my roof but the seal bowed out from the sides of the unit and didn't seal well in the front or back. I still don't think I would trade it for a different brand though.

-- posted by attitude

Top 893. Sep 22, 2000 3:34 PM

» satcom - Propane fridge on while traveling

I am new to this forum for pop up owners. I have been looking at some of the older postings. I cannot believe there are people out there who actually operate their 3 way fridges on propane while traveling down the road. Read your owners manual. It probably says NOT to do this as it is a safety hazard. How do you fuel up your tow vehicle at a gas station. Read the signs there that say to extinguish all open flames et cetera before fueling. Even though the flame for you 3 way is behind the door and inside the little plenum of the unit, it is still considered an "OPEN FLAME". On your 3 way, that is what the 12 volt/battery position is for on these units. Most pop-up trailers that have an on-board battery have capability to be charged from the tow vehicle when it is connected for lights and brakes to the tow vehicle. I would strongly caution anyone from using their 3 way while underway. By the way, some states check trailers for using the flame while under way, don't get caught.

Camp Happy, but be safe.

-- posted by satcom