Florida Bound

[dzldpatriot]

Leaving Virginia on Thursday for Jensen Beach Florida. After the weekend there, we're heading over to Tampa for the week. Staying at MacDill AFB & hitting Busch Gardens/Adventure Island. First big tow with the new 5er, a little nervous but yet anxious Truck & camper are all set, have my spares (fluids, tools, fuel filter, extra fuel & a used but ok lift pump) set aside, even a new 5" TDR logo on the back window . Am I missing anything? How about truck tire pressures?

Hope to meet a few members while on the road, I'll keep my eyes open.

Glen

 

[rkressg]

Get at least one more lift pump. Make life easy on yourself if you get a flat, take a floor jack and throw it in the bed. It is much easier and faster to change a tire with that then the little bottle jack that came with the truck.



With regard to TP, how heavy are you running. I usually run 60psi upfront, and 55-60 in back (depening on toung weight). I always run my trailer tires @ full pressure (usually 60psi), but I am towing 13,000lbs of skidloader or 10,000lbs of car carrier.

-Rich

 

[Midnight]

Have a good trip. I just back from florida, weather was ok. Anybody heading south on I-75 at the Ken-Tenn border better be patient. I went through there going north friday night @10pm, the traffic was at a crawl going south for at least 10 miles.

 

[dzldpatriot]

Rich,

I haven't put the trailer on the scale, but the dry weight is 7,200, guessing I've added about 1k in "stuff". I did throw a hydraulic bottle jack in the camper, not gonna lug my floor jack... short bed's already full. My trailer tires are set at 65, I have the front truck tires at 65 as well, with the rears at 70.

BUT... . as luck would have it, I hitched up to bring the trailer to the house... f/o psi went to ZERO :{ . I ran it... I feel ok that its the sending unit (autometer electric gauge) as I can hear the lift pump cycle when I energize the ignition and the truck ran well. The needle flickers all up & down the scale, gonna try and find another before Thursday morning Gonna post a thread in the 2nd gen forum to get some more thoughts.

Otherwise, I think I'm ready... .

Glen

 

[rkressg]

That TP seems good, you are running a 5th wheel with more weight on the rear axle, I am only running tag along trailers, so my toung weight is lower.



I would suggest a mechanical FP gauge, the sending units when used with diesel seem to prematurely fail, giving eratic or incorrect pressures. I personally run an ISSPRO mechanical gauge, but I also have a FASS.

-Rich

 

[JKinney]

Glen:



You got any leveling boards? 2X6s 2 ft to 1 long I like atleast a half dozen, you gotta have the camper level when you park. You also might need sone for your front jacks. Then If you get a flat on the fiver drive up on boards on the good tire the other will be off the ground.



I walked outback to the 5fv today, 2 feet of snow across the field between the pole barn and the road.



Have a good trip

Jon

 

[jbone]

Had same problem with my FP gauge as you--changed to Electronic sending unit (and of course different gauge--old one wouldn't work with electronic sending unit!), but have been real pleased since then... R, J. B.

 

[GFrance]

Glen your dry weight is less 2 tanks full of propane, 43gal water, along with what you added & I would be willing to bet your closer to 9,000 lbs.

I run 80lbs in my rear tires to get max saftey margine. Don't forget your TDR Travel Companion may come in handy if you need some assistance from a fellow TDR member.



Have a fun & safe trip

Glenn with 2 n's

 

[dzldpatriot]

Thanks for the replies..... got most of what you mentioned. Jon, I've got my "dunnage", plenty of 12 x 12 pads and some 4 x 4's. Hoping I took care of my FP issue. I bought a mechanical gauge last night and hooked it up... . steady at 15 through-out the rpms. No load though, just revving it in the driveway. But, I also pulled the sending unit out & blew it out. Got to thinking I may have had a piece of dirt in there as I changed my line a while ago to the sending unit... . went with stainless aeroquip Didn't see anything, but when I hooked it all back up, 15 psi... steady. So, time will tell. Either way, I know FP is good and you can bet the mechanical gauge is gonna find a home in the tool box The flickering needle is annoying

I'll look to put the truck & camper on scales at some point in the trip. I only filled the water tank about 1/3 full, but your right... probably close to 9k.

Glenn... . whats up with the 2 n's, think of all the extra writing you will have done in a life time :-laf

Glen

 

[rweis]

I'm in Winter Haven about 60 miles form McDill. Go ther often. CALL AHEAD to McDill, you have to take the RV in the McDill Port of Tampa gate and it has limited hours. When you call make SURE you get directions to the McDill Port of Tampa gate. The FamComp is large. I generally do not go till May when it is basically empty.



If you have a problem I am in the TDR Companion under Florida, Winter Haven. I 5er as well. Camping World is on I4 between Tampa and Orlando. If you need anything call me 863 206 3464, always glad to help.



Bob Weis

 

[GFrance]

.

Glenn... . whats up with the 2 n's, think of all the extra writing you will have done in a life time :-laf

Glen

I come from a long line of glenn's Grandpa, father, & step father.

 

[DHawthorne]

If you need cummins parts or help, Southeast Power is off I-4 as you go into Tampa. They also have a shop in Orlando. A friend of mine camped at the AFB

last month. He had to dry camp until he was able to get a spot to hook up.



From Jensen Beach I assume you're going accross State Route 60 to Tampa.

You'll pass Dustys RV place outside of Bartow. Stay off I-4 if you can between Orlando and Lakeland. Its all torn up. If you have time check out Rally Park at Lazy Days RV. Breakfast and Lunch is free, pool, etc. They you can walk through 1500 new and used RV's at Lazy Days. Its on I-4 just east of I-75 on the North side, Mango Exit of I-4.



I towed from Melbourne to Galveston to Duluth MN to Harvard MA and back to Florida with the TDR Sticker on the truck. No one saw me. Can you believe that. Even put one on the fiver rear bumper.



Have a good trip.



Dave

 

[FloridaEd]

First, welcome to 5'ver country.



Look on the doorjamb of the driver's side and check the air pressure for the front and rear axles listed there. Take all tires to that pressure.



At the first CAT scale, you need to weigh as follows: 1. Entire rig (make sure to place the rig on the scale so the front truck axle is on one pad, the rear truck axle is on another pad, and both trailer axles are on a 3rd pad. ) After weighing the rig, drop the trailer and go back and weigh the truck by itself. This will give you a hard number for your trailer's pin weight. You will most likely be over the GCWR for your rig unless you have a dually. You need to establish the weight on your rear axle, because that is the one most likely to be overloaded! You should also look at the max load on the tires on the rear axle and be sure not to exceed those limits.



Now. Listen to someone who has figured this out the HARD way:

Go to Wally World and buy a 12 ton hydraulic jack. That's right, 12 tons. I've changed a number of tires on my 5'ver (before I figured out I need 10 ply tires) and you need a 12 ton jack. I figured, at first, that 4 tons would be more than enough. It won't lift it safely. When you have to change a tire (and you will), you will also need enough boards to build a platform for the jack so the top of the jack will touch the frame of the trailer. You have to lift the frame a good bit to get the tires to come off the ground for removal... . or use the truck jack to life the axle on the 5'ver.



McDill has, in the past few years, expanded the campground a good bit. A lot of folks pull out of FL in order to be back home up North for Easter, but I'd still call ahead. Another really nice campground in FL is at Mayport Naval Station east of Jacksonville. The campground is right on the St John's River and Atlantic Ocean.



As you are staying at McDill, I take it that you are retired military. Thank you for bearing arms for this nation, which that cowardly S. O. B. William Jefferson Clinton refused to do.



Florida Ed