Hints, Tricks and Gadgets/Tools --- small ones.

I really don't want to up date my signature, it should make no difference what kind of m/h. there are 12volt wires exposed to the elements. 4prong, 2 prong and some butt end connectors. The butt ends I will cut, reconnect and shrink tube these. I was just try to find out if there is any reliable sprays for these types of connectors./

Knowing the MH can sometime trigger a memory of personal experience.  A picture or description would help.  Depending on what you want to accomplish would help, are you trying to determine what they should do?  male or female connector?  Under dash?  At rear of bumper? 

If they aren't being used and have no voltage in them, tuck them away.  If voltage is present, tape them up, or heat shrink.  If taping or shrink tube, don't spray.

PancakeBill said:

Knowing the MH can sometime trigger a memory of personal experience.  A picture or description would help.  Depending on what you want to accomplish would help, are you trying to determine what they should do?  male or female connector?  Under dash?  At rear of bumper? 

If they aren't being used and have no voltage in them, tuck them away.  If voltage is present, tape them up, or heat shrink.  If taping or shrink tube, don't spray.

Click to expand...

right on, pancakebill. ;D
harbor freight and others sell a product called "electrical tape in a spray can"
my experience is that it takes several applications to do any good.
i would not use this product on a connector plug that can be separated like the op mentioned.
i use it on crimp connections sometimes where heat shrink tubing is not practical.

broncobilly said:

I have a question concerning batteries, i am taking delivery of my new Outback trailer this friday and I am considering upgrading my batteries from 1-12 volt to 2- 6 volt batteries. I have read a little about this and it seems to make sense. I do plan on a ton of dry camping so is this the way I should go?    any help would be appreciated, Thanks, bb.

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Don't know what a "ton" means.  How long at a time?  In cold weather?  What is essential to your happiness when dry camping - microwave? AC?  Hair dryer? Electric coffee pot?

You need enough battery to get you from charge to charge.

I'm dry camping for two months and have a generator so I need to get through the night on battery.

If you are going to dry camp for the weekend and don't have a generator, then you need a weekend's worth of battery, to do whatever you want to do.

After I bought the 2 6 volt AGMs I wondered why I did that since the wimpy 12 volt battery that came with the trailer would have made it through the night.

Get some experience under your belt before you buy would be my advice.

Joel

Great device for the remotes.  In our coach we have a bedroom TV with no space for any accessories.  We have the digi0-analog converter and a sat receiver.  I have these mounted in the front cabinet.  So, if in bedroom, the remotes IR would need a lot of focused mirrors to reach the equipment, or jump out of bed, go 'all the way' to the front to adust vaolume, channels etc. 

Solution  --  RF remote extender.  Thre is a tiny transmitter sleeve, the rechargable batter slips inside and it becomes a AAA batter, replace a standard AAA in the remote.  There is also a supplied sleeve if the remote uses an AA size.  OK, now up front, little 1/2 dome device with short antenna and a plug in IR.  You can get a plug in with multiple IR emitters.  Stick the emitter on the eye of the device. 

Simple!  Now the remote sends RF, th reciever converts to IR pulse.  Works fantastic, we used it all last summer. 

Package comes with 2 batteries, 1 transmitter sleeve.  Te extra batt fits in the base of the reciever and it recharges.  One charge was good for about 5 months.  Extra transmitter sleeves and batteries can be found easily.  Bought my setup on eBay.  I got lucky, bought mine from a guy that had bought it and not used it.  Never opened.  Full retail is about $50 or o. 

I cut magnetic material to the size of the floor vents and covered with contact paper to cover the vents when we aren't using the heat. This helps to keep the dirt out of the vents. The magnetic material will stick to the metal vent cover.

Lynnvt, now that is a good idea. Never occurred to me.. thank you.
  I'll do that to prevent the hot air from blowing on my thermostat, as well as keeping the others covered for the others to keep the camping dirt out.

carson FL

You can actually buy those magnetic covers.  Up here in Canada they come 3 to a package, and they are made to look just like a vent.  Very inexpensive.  Home Depot carries them.  I use them here at home to cover my vents in the basement in the summer because when the air is one it's brutally cold down there.

As my family and I are now the proud owner of a new travel trailer and have been popup campers for many years, I myself would like to see tips, tricks and ideas on storage solutions, be it food items, kitchen utensils, tools etc.

We had our own tricks for the popup but in many ways everything was more contained and locked in where the travel trailer is more open.

How does everyone deal with keeping things locked in place so that they don't move around during travel (TV's, Food, Supplies etc.)?

What kind of storage space savings ideas has everyone come up with? this is of great interest also. again the popup was different.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Buy lots of the rubber matting and place on the bottom of every cabinet/shelf.  Helps to keep stuff from shifting around.

Buy those rubberized thingys that make extra shelves in tall cabinets, even works in some of shorter ones.

If the refrig isn't full enough to keep things in place, put empty bowls or pots in there to take up the extra space.  Do that on shelves too.

Since we full-timed for 10 years or so, we had to carry a lot of stuff with us, that part-timers would never consider.  So that kept cabinets, etc. fairly well loaded which also helped to keep stuff from shifting around, so it isn't much of a problem for us. 

On our last trip we took out several heavy winter coats that we wouldn't be needing.  However, that was a mistake and now my ironing board (table top one) won't stay in place.  And we now have lots more space in that area, that I'll have to think of something to put in it.  :-\

Think outside the box.  If you have to put extra clothing in the living area to fill up cabinets, do it.  Who's going to know except you and your spouse.

I've also used expandable book ends to keep books and boxes of food from shifting. 

I've heard of others who put the couch decorator pillow inside cabinets when traveling to pick up the slack.

There's lots of little things that will come to mind as you "live in" your new rv, and you'll figure it out.  If not right away, after a few trips.  Work with what you have in it already with out lots of fancy stuff.

Oh, yes, we did have one cabinet door fly open "once", the one with the dishes in it.  Luckily they were mostly corel.  No damage.  But from then on I've put one of the child-proof cabinet locks on it when we travel to avoid another recurrence.  But I also rearranged that cabinet so that pressure is not applied to the door any longer, which is what happened in the first place.  Both "fixes" has stopped it from happening again.

That's just a few ideas.  Hopefully others will follow.

Daisy

We've discovered that the fuller the cupboards and refrigerator, the less things move around. Of course, having everything full doesn't help out with weight. I like Daisy's suggestion to use things you already have to fill spaces. I use potholders and towels to keep dishes and pots and pans from rattling since I have them anyway. Never thought of stuffing the pillows in a cupboard to act as filler but I'll give that a try. I do stuff things like the bedside clock and reading materials behind the bed pillows. I used to take down pictures that hang on the walls but quit doing that a long time ago and they haven't fallen off yet. Countertop bathroom stuff goes in the bathroom sink when moving.

Wendy

Thanks Daisy and Wendy for the information,

I have some of my own ideas as well as I tend to be a very creative person and enjoy modifying living spaces to better utilize the space provided. Obviously I have not yet had a chance to trial any of these ideas however.

When we finally get the hauler purchase finalized and get a chance to work & play with our new toy I will let you all know what I came up with and share my triumphs and failures. (Hopefully there are more triumphs than failures)

  A little hint on how to find info on your rig.

  If you have your precise model number of your rig, such as mine "WCG32WQ"  just type that into the GOOGLE search and see what happens. It may not work on all models..who knows. Give it a try.

  Here is my entry:>>>  http://www.winnebagoind.com/service/wincd/1995/95wg32wq.pdf


Let me know how it worked out.

carson FL

Windshield Wiper Covers

Driving around the southwest, you don't have much rain so little need to use the windshield wipers. So I've gotten kind of lazy and hadn't taken off my covers while driving. Well, in that high wind leaving FMCA-ABQ,  both covers blew off, first time in thousands of miles. So I went to  Lowe's and bought new exact replacements---for $1.18. I use the  pre-scored foam pipe insulation, 6' long, 1" OD. I cut it in half and I have windshield wiper covers for each wiper blade for less than 60? each. Keeps the blade off the windshield and protects the rubber from the sun.

I tried mine and the original ad for mine at Lazy Days came up.  No more pictures, but same stock number. (yes I remember my stock number).  It was the first one on the list.  Southwind 35p  popped right up.

As do many of us, my wife and I have a "crank-up" antenna for our two TVs in our 5th Wheel, (plus cable and dish). For many years, just to make sure that we do not drive off with the crank-up antenna in up position, I always hook a "flag" on the crank at the ceiling EVERYTIME I crank the antenna up. Then, EVERYTIME that I crank the antenna down, I take the flag off. The flag is merely a square foot size decorative cloth with a cord to loop around the crank. It is colorful enough, and large enough, to draw my attemtion everytime I do a walk-through before closing down and driving away. When the antenna is down, the flag comes off so that I always know if the antenna is up or down.
I have never driven with the antenna up, but I have from time to time noticed other RV's that have broken their antenna by leaving it up while driving.

We have a plastic clothes pin that resides on the antenna crank.  When i crank the antenna up the clothes pin gets moved to the gear shift lever.  This way, when I get ready to drive off i see the clothes pin and remember to lower the antenna.

On a previous post someone told of having more than one clothes pin, each labeled as to it's purpose.

I guess that most of us have experienced holding tank sensors that become inacurate. I also have heard and read many suggested solutions to the problem and I have tried a number of solutions. The one that I have used over the past few years, that seems to work best for us, is to pour a bottle of PineSol into the drain, (sink or toilet), fill the tank almost full with water and drive for a while. Almost always when I drain the tank after this treament, the gauge will work correctly.

There used to be a product called an "Antenna Saver" as I recall. it was a "Stop sign" with a short chain and clip.. You clipped it somewhere when you put your antenna up (I clip mine to the steering wheel "spokes")

Well. I"m told they don't make it any more.. What do they make?  CD lables and most every compuer user I know has made a CD-Coaster or two (CD with a bad burn or damaged or just flat no longer needed)  Print up two "Stop signs" on CD lables, STOMPER them onto a coaster-cd and drill a small hole.  A short wire and a cloths pin and you you have the expensive Camping world "Sign" for.. junk.