VAL Digest V1 #269

VAL Digest           Saturday, June 5 2004           Volume 01 : Number 269




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Topics in Today's Digest:

Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters
Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters
Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters
Re: [VAL] winterizing
Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters
Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters
Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters
Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters
Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters

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Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2004 00:00:54 -0500
From: "Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer" <geraldj@xxxxxxxxxx.net>
Subject: Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters

Older and smaller trailers didn't have an emergency breakaway brake
switch as you describe. Smaller trailers still aren't required to have
one.

The main problem with using the breakaway brake switch routinely is that
it puts the maximum possible current to the brake magnets heating them
more than the normal internal heat from electric current which could
cause them to burn open. Otherwise I think the electric brakes may work
poorly if at all when going backwards.

Gerald J.
- -- 
Entire content copyright Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer.
Reproduction by permission only.

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Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2004 00:00:57 -0500
From: "Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer" <geraldj@xxxxxxxxxx.net>
Subject: Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters

If you look at major hitch maker's web pages, such as the one for Reese,
you can find listings of their front hitch receivers that bolt directly
in place, generally requiring no added holes in the frame or bumper. My
old 1 ton farm truck has a front hitch welded on the outside of the
bumper for farm wagons and the first time I hitched a hay rack on the
front I backed it around a right angle and then parallel parked it in a
corner less than 6" from a barn as if I'd been doing that all my life.
Those watching refused to believe I'd never hitched anything that way
before. It really worked that super and easy. Then I mounted a front
hitch on my tractor and saved loads of hay bales from rain by pushing
them into the shed through a 11'6" wide door (load about 8' 6" wide) and
parked side by side at an angle with little space left over and did each
in less than 30 seconds beating the rain by another 30 seconds or less
with the second load.

The important thing about backing a trailer is being able to see the
back end of the trailer so you can tell when its not going where you
want it. I have tons of trouble backing my small box trailer because its
only 4'2" wide and I can't see it behind my truck unless there's
something tall in the back. For my Caravel and my flat bed tandem axle
trailer I'm backing them daytimes without turning around in the seat,
but depending on the mirrors. First thing is to learn the position of
the trailer in the mirrors when driving straight ahead. I use the
fenders on my flat bed (its a little wider than the truck) and the radio
antenna on the left front of the Caravel for reference. With practice,
I'm routinely backing the flat bed into my driveway from a rural gravel
road. So I back it around a right angle (with the minifying mirror on
the right side of the truck its easier to back to the left) and then in
the driveway. A key is not to be in a hurry. Just putt along and if the
trailer gets away (turns too fast), stop and pull forward to straighten
it out. Its no disgrace to do it over, its disgrace to bend something. I
tried showing off with the flat bed once last winter backing out of a
long driveway. Trouble is about half way down the hill when I needed to
turn the truck a lot to keep the trailer in the driveway, the front
wheels were on ice and turning the steering wheel had no effect on the
truck and trailer direction. Took more than an hour with another truck
and chain to get the trailer and truck out of the snow bank.

At night I use a flashlight with a magnet and put it on the left end of
the trailer back bumper shining straight to the rear. I can see its
change of direction before I can see the trailer changing and so can
correct quicker. Its my secret nighttime backing weapon.

Still the front hitch because it has super visibility and nearly super
maneuverability of the trailer tongue makes hard backing look extremely
simple.

Gerald J.
- -- 
Entire content copyright Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer.
Reproduction by permission only.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2004 07:55:08 -0400
From: Dick Kenan <as5368@xxxxxxxxxx.com>
Subject: Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters

At 11:46 PM 6/3/2004, you wrote:
>It is that short little cable on your hitch that you hook to your truck 
>hitch..[snip]

         Not to your hitch...attach it somewhere on the tow vehicle.  One 
cause of towing failure is a hitch failure where the entire hitch receiver 
comes off.  You can drill a hole into your bumper, at the recessed part 
where the license plate goes, and install a screw eye to hook to.  Or, as I 
do, if your cable is long, just loop it around the bumper (something of a 
bother at first) and then attach the end to your screw eye (don't do this 
if it shortens your cable too much...you don't want the brakes coming on 
during a turn!).

- - Dick
(5368)

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the 
intelligent are full of doubt."
- - Bertrand Russell
- ---------------------------------------
Dick Kenan Tel: 770-451-0672
Retired and loving it!
WBCCI # 5368, 28' 1995 Excella
Atlanta
mailto:as5368@xxxxxxxxxx.com
http://www.mindspring.com/~as5368/ 

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Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 08:18:32 -0400
From: "Jim Greene" <drgreene@xxxxxxxxxx.net>
Subject: Re: [VAL] winterizing

John, I recommend the water heater bypass kit from most any RV store. I have
on my '68 Tradewind and I can winterize the plumbing with a little over a
gallon of antifreeze. Daisy has had good luck draining and blowing out her
lines with compressed air.  I tried that on a new off the dealer floor 1971
Tradewind I had and the water in a low place in the copper line froze and
split the pipe. It was very hard to get to the broken pipe to repair the
split.  The dealer told me I would have to take most of the bathroom out to
get to the break. I was able to avoid going to that extreme but I'm not a
contortionist any longer at my age so I have installed and used a bypass kit
ever since. I also have a kit to pump the antifreeze through the plumbing
using the on board water pump. It's easy, fast and efficient.

Jim Greene
' 68 Tradewind

- ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nancy & John Hussey" <seacure@xxxxxxxxxx.net>
To: <valist@xxxxxxxxxx.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2004 10:31 PM
Subject: [VAL] winterizing


> Now that I am dewinterizing, I have a question about next fall.  I have
> a 1973 27-foot Landyacht that requires about 10 gallons of antifreeze to
> winterize.  Has anyone develooped a system for bypassing the hotwater
> heater so that it does not have to be filled?  Is there a better way?
> Thanks,
> John Hussey
> 73 Airstream
> Lincoln, MI

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2004 08:31:27 -0400
From: Dave Lowrey <airstream@xxxxxxxxxx.com>
Subject: Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters

If you tow with a pickup truck, as I do, just run the cable under the 
tailgate (open the tailgate a bit, pull the cable through, then shut the 
tailgate). Then attach something on the end of the cable to keep it from 
pulling through.I use a removable "chain link".

Dave

At 07:55 AM 6/4/2004, you wrote:
>At 11:46 PM 6/3/2004, you wrote:
>>It is that short little cable on your hitch that you hook to your truck 
>>hitch..[snip]
>
>         Not to your hitch...attach it somewhere on the tow vehicle.  One 
> cause of towing failure is a hitch failure where the entire hitch 
> receiver comes off.  You can drill a hole into your bumper, at the 
> recessed part where the license plate goes, and install a screw eye to 
> hook to.  Or, as I do, if your cable is long, just loop it around the 
> bumper (something of a bother at first) and then attach the end to your 
> screw eye (don't do this if it shortens your cable too much...you don't 
> want the brakes coming on during a turn!).

_________________________________________________________________
Dave & Ann Lowrey - dave_lowrey@xxxxxxxxxx.com

WBCCI: 5074

1977 31' Sovereign International (center bath)
Cincinnati, Ohio 

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Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 08:29:02 -0500
From: Chris Koehn <timberguides@xxxxxxxxxx.com>
Subject: Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters

I second Dr. Johnson's comments about using a tractor. I have a 1941 
Ford 9N I use primarily for mowing and plowing. It has a loader on the 
front- perfect to mount a ball to. Great maneuverability and 
visibility. I know not everyone has a tractor in their shed, but I find 
mine indispensable for moving around my 2 cargo trailers and the A/S.
I also own several heavy duty "Lug-All" brand come-a-longs. One travels 
with me at all times. That and a tow chain has gotten me out of lots of 
pickles.

Chris K.
Cascade, WI
#8638

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 13:05:45 -0700
From: Joann Wheatley <jwheatle@xxxxxxxxxx.edu>
Subject: Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters

Tom:
    Oh. I have one. It came with the new axle and brakes and has a black 
plastic battery case as well. I didn't know what it was called. Thanks.
On 3, Jun 2004, at 8:20 PM, Tom wrote:

> Joan,
>
> There is a twisted wire cable with a loop on the end that connects to a
> round object where the pin is sticking out.  This round object is on 
> the
> A-frame of your Airstream (or you should have one installed!) and the 
> wire
> cable goes from that round "switch" pin to the tow vehicle.  IF the tow
> vehicle and the trailer separate in an emergency the tow vehicle will 
> pull
> the cable, which will pull the pin out of the round switch activating 
> the
> trailer's electric brakes to minimize damage to Mother Earth and any 
> other
> things unlucky enough to be in it's travel path.
>
> Tom
>
>
> On Behalf Of Joann Wheatley
> Dean & Kay;
>     My what? I don't have one or else I just don't know what that is.
> Jo Ann
> On 3, Jun 2004, at 12:26 PM, Dean wrote:
>
>> Ever think of using your BREAK AWAY cable to stop a run-away trailer?
>> Just grab on and give it a jerk.
>> Put blocks around your wheels then replace the break away pin to turn
>> off your
>> breaks and save your battery.
>>
>> See You On the Road
>> Dean & Kay
>> WBCCI   2486
>> IOWA
>
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> When replying to a message. please delete all unnecessary original text
>
> To unsubscribe or change to a digest format, please go to
> http://www.tompatterson.com/VAC/VAList/listoffice.html

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 13:16:31 -0700
From: Joann Wheatley <jwheatle@xxxxxxxxxx.edu>
Subject: Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters

Good idea. I'll check out the length of the cable.
Jo Ann
On 4, Jun 2004, at 4:55 AM, Dick Kenan wrote:

> At 11:46 PM 6/3/2004, you wrote:
>> It is that short little cable on your hitch that you hook to your 
>> truck hitch..[snip]
>
>         Not to your hitch...attach it somewhere on the tow vehicle.  
> One cause of towing failure is a hitch failure where the entire hitch 
> receiver comes off.  You can drill a hole into your bumper, at the 
> recessed part where the license plate goes, and install a screw eye to 
> hook to.  Or, as I do, if your cable is long, just loop it around the 
> bumper (something of a bother at first) and then attach the end to 
> your screw eye (don't do this if it shortens your cable too much...you 
> don't want the brakes coming on during a turn!).
>
> - Dick
> (5368)

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 13:17:47 -0700
From: Joann Wheatley <jwheatle@xxxxxxxxxx.edu>
Subject: Re: [VAL] Dolly wheels/casters

Humm... If the cable is long enough, that sounds pretty simple too. 
Thank you Dave.
Jo Ann
On 4, Jun 2004, at 5:31 AM, Dave Lowrey wrote:

> If you tow with a pickup truck, as I do, just run the cable under the 
> tailgate (open the tailgate a bit, pull the cable through, then shut 
> the tailgate). Then attach something on the end of the cable to keep 
> it from pulling through.I use a removable "chain link".
>
> Dave
>
> At 07:55 AM 6/4/2004, you wrote:
>> At 11:46 PM 6/3/2004, you wrote:
>>> It is that short little cable on your hitch that you hook to your 
>>> truck hitch..[snip]
>>
>>         Not to your hitch...attach it somewhere on the tow vehicle.  
>> One cause of towing failure is a hitch failure where the entire hitch 
>> receiver comes off.  You can drill a hole into your bumper, at the 
>> recessed part where the license plate goes, and install a screw eye 
>> to hook to.  Or, as I do, if your cable is long, just loop it around 
>> the bumper (something of a bother at first) and then attach the end 
>> to your screw eye (don't do this if it shortens your cable too 
>> much...you don't want the brakes coming on during a turn!).
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Dave & Ann Lowrey - dave_lowrey@xxxxxxxxxx.com
>
> WBCCI: 5074
>
> 1977 31' Sovereign International (center bath)
> Cincinnati, Ohio
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> When replying to a message. please delete all unnecessary original text
>
> To unsubscribe or change to a digest format, please go to
> http://www.tompatterson.com/VAC/VAList/listoffice.html

------------------------------

End of VAL Digest V1 #269
*************************


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