Carol, I would not recommend the wind cheetah. ?It only helps when you are raising or lowering the roof, and does only a little more than the bungees. ?It does not help after the camper us setup. ?Given that you can delay roof raising or lowering if some high winds pass through, but you can't do anything about a storm coming through during a week long camping trip, when you may even be away from the campground, the first priority for roof assist is get a system that protects the camper after it has been setup.?
Aliner makes a cable system that locks the roof in place after its raised. ?I think that's the best system. ?You'll have to call aliner to get it. ?They don't have it listed on their website as far as I could tell.
As far as sterilizing the water tank, fill it half full of water, dump in a half cup of bleach, fill it the rest of the way with water, let it sit for a day, then drain and rinse. ?For rinsing real well, fill with water and let it sit for a day to leach out all the bleach taste, then drain. ?You'll have to rinse several times.
Steve
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?
I would stay away from the cheaper Chinese generators like Harbor Freight sells. You can't go wrong with a Yamaha or Honda generator.
My .02$ worth
Tom in the man cave on wheels in Albuquerque
08 Chalet Arrowhead Trail Boss
05 Ford Ranger
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It's time to grease my '04 Aliner. The manual says to use "80 minimum", but I'm wondering if I'd gain or lose anything by going to 90. The manual also states the the GVW (they might have meant GVWR) is 1840 pounds and I doubt that I ever get within 150-200 pounds of that.
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Wow! This is an awesome product!?
I'm a klutz. I will hire someone to install one. ?I am going to order it tomorrow. And I will ask Southland RV what they charge to install. ?(Calling them tomorrow, too, I was referred to their employee, Matt Frady.) I'd like to get everything done (new window, check floor & walls for water damage, spray under-carriage, remove propane stove & tank) while I'm recuperating from my gallbladder surgery. (August 16 to September 30)
I'm still waffling about removing the water tank. I'm sure it needs a complete Clorox treatment. ?Any advice, recommendations, suggestions? Maybe a replacement? Hoses too??
Yesterday, I shared my plans for "modifications/personalization" with a friend (who still backpacks). She was not in favor of what I am doing. But as I explained to her, I am making my Sportliner "mine." When I'm finished, I should be able to go on extended trips (staying at State Parks and campgrounds with 30A) with occasional stops at grocery stores, laundromats, and restaurants.?
I am going to make stencils and then transfer them to the outside of the camper and color them in so that the camper looks like a turtle shell. (Would make it harder to steal & sell as someone on FB said, lol.)?
And you know that Huge USA Map that Camping World sells with the State you stick inside the outline as you visit each State? ? I'm debating putting that inside on the "roof" ... If I don't find an eye-catching decal that appeals to me.?
I'm going to leave the top panels white. May stencil & paint the top of the "A" ... Or not. ?
Anyway, when I look at the vintage travel trailers and see what, mostly women, have done to paint them and make them personal, I decided that even if I sold my Sportliner at a later date, there would be a market.?
Now about that fresh-water tank and hoses???
Thanks again for all the help and suggestions,
Carol?
2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4x4 Off-Road (aka Myrtle)?2004 Aliner Sportliner (aka Tyrtle)?
May life be gentle and gracious to you. (From Isaiah 30:18)
Carol Donaldson,?Morganton, GA.??
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I would stay away from the cheaper Chinese generators like Harbor Freight sells. You can't go wrong with a Yamaha or Honda generator.
My .02$ worth
Tom in the man cave on wheels in Albuquerque
08 Chalet Arrowhead Trail Boss 05 Ford Ranger
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Re: Aliner Table and other mods.
Good Afternoon! On my way to church the thought came to me: Quit thinking inside the box!?
I have a pickup truck - I can wrap up the table (so the pedestal post doesn't do any damage) and stick it in the bed of the truck (have a tonneau - may buy camper shell) after setting up until I need it to travel.?
Too obvious, I guess.?
The table top weighs 40 pounds. That's the drawback, but ... I can "wrangle" it.?
I may take the roll up table to put under the 8x8 screen house my daughter is giving me. ?
I'll look for a small sturdy table to use to eat on. I can toss it in the truck bed when traveling.?
Thanks to everyone for suggestions on how to solve my dilemma!?
Carol? (My "Coosa" nickname is from my backpacking days -- I honed my skills on the Coosa BackCountry Trail at Vogel State Park near Blairsville, GA.)??
2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4x4 Off-Road (aka Myrtle)?2004 Aliner Sportliner (aka Tyrtle)?
May life be gentle and gracious to you. (From Isaiah 30:18)
Carol Donaldson,?Morganton, GA.??
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Jul 31, 2016, at 10:15 AM, t8nphila@... [alinerchaleta-frames] < alinerchaleta-frames@...> wrote:
?
Good morning, we have replaced the table in our 2010 Expedition with a folding table like Amazon's Lifetime 28241 20" x 30". This gives us much greater versatility as we can easily use it inside or outside. ?We also cut a piece off 3/4" birch plywood to fit the space as a support for the cushions when in the bed position. ?When not in use it simply lays flat on the floor in the same space.? We have also made the rear bed permanent with the addition of a queen mattress. ?Our spare tire was tongue mounted and we have moved that to the rear bumper. ?We have Wind Cheeta straps installed and have had no wind problems including leaving the camper set up throughout our Philadelphia winters. There is a problem of "strap slap" against the camper in moderate to heavy winds. We solved this while in Nova Scotia recently by tying a sponge to the straps which softened the slapping so we could sleep. I've also considered purchasing a fake wool seatbelt cover as a softer choice. Our Aliner gets extensive use since our purchase in 2013 (retirement following 35 years of teaching) so far 3 trips to the west coast and Vancouver and a trip this summer to Maritime Canada. Another trip is planned for late October to our daughter's near San Francisco. Top spots to visit include Lafayette/Breaux Bridge, LA, Yellowstone National Park, International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN, Santa Fe, NM, Savannah, GA and Coastal Maine. We have had no towing issues with our 2012 Chrysler Town & Country. We do have a stabilizer bar installed. ?One reoccurring problem has been failure of our right brake/turn signal. Hopefully our dealer can find the problem during this our third visit to get it corrected. Any thought would be appreciated. Happy camping!
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Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
When selecting a generator brand there are the Hondas and Yamahas which are the gold standard, and then many no name brands of lesser or unknown quality. ?If you pick a no name brand, research it thoroughly. ?Here's an article about good bearings vs bad bearings. ?You can bet the Hondas and Yamahas have good bearings, and a generator for one third the price has bad, and others you just don't know:
| | | | | | In a very simple test of reliability.? | | | | Preview by Yahoo | | | ? Then there's the serviceability issues:
| | | | | | ?-?Forums - Register/Sign Up - Reply - Search - Statistics - ???? ? Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Buyer Beware Westinghouse Portable Generator Scam ? | | | | Preview by Yahoo | | | ? Westinghouse actually gets pretty good ratings. ?But if you can't service it, that's a pretty big ding in value. ?There are a bunch of generator brands that you can't get serviced.
When I read the reviews on Amazon, I always look at how many one star ratings there are. ?If it's above 10%, I've found that a good indicator the product will have problems. ?Plus look at the content of the complaints. ?Saying the carburator clogged up on a generator is a user problem, because if you let any generator sit with old gas in it the carburator will clog. ?But reviews that say something metal broke in the engine and it seized up is a serious problem.
One other thing to think about when buying a generator. ?Get one they sell a propane conversion for. ?Running on propane gets rid of the problem of old gas gumming up the carburator. ?It also eliminates the problem of trying to safely transport gasoline.
Steve
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Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
Ditto to John!
Helpful comments from all on this subject!
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?
Thanks John!
?
For anyone wanting to purchase a genset for their camper there are SEVERAL things you MUST check and look into. First off from one year to the next appliances change, Microwaves, A/C units Furnaces, Fans TV's all made by different manufactures and may
vary in wattage from year to year and company to company. I have found that a company making a microwave one year?may not draw the same wattage in the micro the next and as we all know these companies buy from the lowest bidder. To say?that you can run?your
items on a 1000 unit and another says they can do it on a only on a 2000 shows that. It also is different among users on what you are doing at the time.?
It is best to find out how much wattage you need for all the appliances then figure out what you may be using at any one time day OR night. As we all know we do not cook while sleeping and do not need a cpap while cooking usually unless you decide to do
that. But we may be using an A/C and fire up the micro at the same time.
Another thing to check is the genset themselves, what may say a 2000 may only be a 1800 and what may be a 1000 may actually only be a 850 producing unit. I have had the red one and have had a yellow one BOTH saying 2000 watt but when running them they
run differently and required something to be turned off because of there surge pickup.....FWIW
John
Midwest Aframe Repair and Service
|
Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
Years
ago I had a 1600w Sears generator and needed to run my 1hp
table saw. If I just flipped the switch the starting current
would kill the gas motor. I found if I loosened the belt the
generator could start the saw's motor spinning. When the motor
was up to speed I could lower the motor to tighten the belt
and then the saw blade would spin up to speed and everything
was fine. When I was at a campground and used the table saw I
would turn off the fridge to lessen the load on the 10GA
extension cord.
Carl.
On 7/31/2016 9:56 AM, PFEIL5787@...
[alinerchaleta-frames] wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
?
For anyone wanting to purchase a genset for their
camper there are SEVERAL things you MUST check and look
into. First off from one year to the next appliances
change, Microwaves, A/C units Furnaces, Fans TV's all made
by different manufactures and may vary in wattage from
year to year and company to company. I have found that a
company making a microwave one year?may not draw the same
wattage in the micro the next and as we all know these
companies buy from the lowest bidder. To say?that you can
run?your items on a 1000 unit and another says they can do
it on a only on a 2000 shows that. It also is different
among users on what you are doing at the time.?
It is best to find out how much wattage you need for
all the appliances then figure out what you may be using
at any one time day OR night. As we all know we do not
cook while sleeping and do not need a cpap while cooking
usually unless you decide to do that. But we may be using
an A/C and fire up the micro at the same time.
Another thing to check is the genset themselves, what
may say a 2000 may only be a 1800 and what may be a 1000
may actually only be a 850 producing unit. I have had the
red one and have had a yellow one BOTH saying 2000 watt
but when running them they run differently and required
something to be turned off because of there surge
pickup.....FWIW
John
Midwest Aframe Repair and Service
|
Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
If you
are running the Furnace it is cold outside and the
Refrigerator would run great on Propane. Limiting the total Amps.
Carl.
On 7/31/2016 12:10 AM, TONY LEWIS
fatherxtwo@... [alinerchaleta-frames] wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
?
Thanks, Walley. I'm thinking the 2000, could handle the
air condition/furnace and Refrigerator. Like Steve said I
merely need to balance usage by priority and time of day,
as needed.
?
I had a Honda 2000 for 9 years with my Expedition.?
The 2000 weights about 45 Lbs.? Puts out 13 AMPS.? I
ran a Cpap and O2 Concentrater at night no problems
also The force air furnace and kept the batteries
charged.? The Concentrater and the CPap pulled about
9 Amps.
?
You'd
probably need a 3000 watt
generator to power all the stuff
you listed at the same time. ?Go
out and find a 3000 watt
generator and try and lift it.
?Once you find out how heavy it
is, I doubt you'll want one.
?Unless you are really strong,
it takes two people to store one
in the car or truck bed. ?I
think that pretty much everyone
with small trailers use a
minimal generator for ease of
transport, and only run one
major device at a time.
Running just one thing at a
time you could certainly get by
with a 2000 watt. ?You might
even be able to get by with a
1000 watt unit, although you'd
be pretty close to the limit on
that for your ac, and if you
tried to run the ac with a low
battery the charger might draw
too much current to run the ac
at the same time.
Steve
|
Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
I have a generator which will run lights, furnace, refrigerator and most other things but it will not run the microwave. It lights up and the table goes around but it does not get hot. I am not an electrical engineer but I believe that it is because of the wave form. Sine wave as opposed to square wave??
Not really a problem for me. I do not even take a generator along with my camper. I am trying to get away from the clap trap, not bring it along. YMMV. To each his own.?
|
Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
?
For anyone wanting to purchase a genset for their camper there are SEVERAL things you MUST check and look into. First off from one year to the next appliances change, Microwaves, A/C units Furnaces, Fans TV's all made by different manufactures and may
vary in wattage from year to year and company to company. I have found that a company making a microwave one year?may not draw the same wattage in the micro the next and as we all know these companies buy from the lowest bidder. To say?that you can run?your
items on a 1000 unit and another says they can do it on a only on a 2000 shows that. It also is different among users on what you are doing at the time.?
It is best to find out how much wattage you need for all the appliances then figure out what you may be using at any one time day OR night. As we all know we do not cook while sleeping and do not need a cpap while cooking usually unless you decide to do
that. But we may be using an A/C and fire up the micro at the same time.
Another thing to check is the genset themselves, what may say a 2000 may only be a 1800 and what may be a 1000 may actually only be a 850 producing unit. I have had the red one and have had a yellow one BOTH saying 2000 watt but when running them they
run differently and required something to be turned off because of there surge pickup.....FWIW
John
Midwest Aframe Repair and Service
|
Aliner Table and other mods.
Good morning, we have replaced the table in our 2010 Expedition with a folding table like Amazon's Lifetime 28241 20" x 30". This gives us much greater versatility as we can easily use it inside or outside. ?We also cut a piece off 3/4" birch plywood to fit the space as a support for the cushions when in the bed position. ?When not in use it simply lays flat on the floor in the same space.? We have also made the rear bed permanent with the addition of a queen mattress. ?Our spare tire was tongue mounted and we have moved that to the rear bumper. ?We have Wind Cheeta straps installed and have had no wind problems including leaving the camper set up throughout our Philadelphia winters. There is a problem of "strap slap" against the camper in moderate to heavy winds. We solved this while in Nova Scotia recently by tying a sponge to the straps which softened the slapping so we could sleep. I've also considered purchasing a fake wool seatbelt cover as a softer choice. Our Aliner gets extensive use since our purchase in 2013 (retirement following 35 years of teaching) so far 3 trips to the west coast and Vancouver and a trip this summer to Maritime Canada. Another trip is planned for late October to our daughter's near San Francisco. Top spots to visit include Lafayette/Breaux Bridge, LA, Yellowstone National Park, International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN, Santa Fe, NM, Savannah, GA and Coastal Maine. We have had no towing issues with our 2012 Chrysler Town & Country. We do have a stabilizer bar installed. ?One reoccurring problem has been failure of our right brake/turn signal. Hopefully our dealer can find the problem during this our third visit to get it corrected. Any thought would be appreciated. Happy camping!
|
Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
For anyone wanting to purchase a genset for their camper there are SEVERAL things you MUST check and look into. First off from one year to the next appliances change, Microwaves, A/C units Furnaces, Fans TV's all made by different manufactures and may vary in wattage from year to year and company to company. I have found that a company making a microwave one year?may not draw the same wattage in the micro the next and as we all know these companies buy from the lowest bidder. To say?that you can run?your items on a 1000 unit and another says they can do it on a only on a 2000 shows that. It also is different among users on what you are doing at the time.?
It is best to find out how much wattage you need for all the appliances then figure out what you may be using at any one time day OR night. As we all know we do not cook while sleeping and do not need a cpap while cooking usually unless you decide to do that. But we may be using an A/C and fire up the micro at the same time.
Another thing to check is the genset themselves, what may say a 2000 may only be a 1800 and what may be a 1000 may actually only be a 850 producing unit. I have had the red one and have had a yellow one BOTH saying 2000 watt but when running them they run differently and required something to be turned off because of there surge pickup.....FWIW
John Midwest Aframe Repair and Service
|
Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
We use a Powerhorse Portable Inverter Generator from Northern Tool. | | | | | | This Powerhorse Portable Inverter Generator is super quiet and super reliable for powering everything from sensitive electronics to power tools. Th... | | | | Preview by Yahoo | | | Last year we used it for a week with the following load: AC, fridge on gas, LED lights, charging as needed - 40w laptop, 2 tablets, and cell phone.? The key for us was to alternate the heavy loads. We turned off the AC to use the 900w convection/microwave oven.? The unit would occasionally surge when the AC or oven was running. The battery was charged adequately. Most campgrounds have limited hours for generator use. That campground was 8am to 8pm. I have seen more restrictive hours of 7-9am and 5-7pm. 2012 Expedition 2016 Pilot TV ---In alinerchaleta-frames@..., <srtimm@...> wrote : You'd probably need a 3000 watt generator to power all the stuff you listed at the same time. ?Go out and find a 3000 watt generator and try and lift it. ?Once you find out how heavy it is, I doubt you'll want one. ?Unless you are really strong, it takes two people to store one in the car or truck bed. ?I think that pretty much everyone with small trailers use a minimal generator for ease of transport, and only run one major device at a time.
Running just one thing at a time you could certainly get by with a 2000 watt. ?You might even be able to get by with a 1000 watt unit, although you'd be pretty close to the limit on that for your ac, and if you tried to run the ac with a low battery the charger might draw too much current to run the ac at the same time.
Steve
|
Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
Thanks, Walley. I'm thinking the 2000, could handle the air condition/furnace and Refrigerator. Like Steve said I merely need to balance usage by priority and time of day, as needed.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
?
I had a Honda 2000 for 9 years with my Expedition.? The 2000 weights about 45 Lbs.? Puts out 13 AMPS.? I ran a Cpap and O2 Concentrater at night no problems also The force air furnace and kept the batteries charged.? The Concentrater and the CPap pulled about
9 Amps.
?
You'd probably need a 3000 watt generator to power all the stuff you listed at the same time. ?Go out and find a 3000 watt generator and try and lift it. ?Once you find out how heavy it is, I doubt you'll want
one. ?Unless you are really strong, it takes two people to store one in the car or truck bed. ?I think that pretty much everyone with small trailers use a minimal generator for ease of transport, and only run one major device at a time.
Running just one thing at a time you could certainly get by with a 2000 watt. ?You might even be able to get by with a 1000 watt unit, although you'd be pretty close to the limit on that for your ac, and if you tried to run the ac with a low battery the
charger might draw too much current to run the ac at the same time.
Steve
|
Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
I had a Honda 2000 for 9 years with my Expedition.? The 2000 weights about 45 Lbs.? Puts out 13 AMPS.? I ran a Cpap and O2 Concentrater at night no problems also The force air furnace and kept the batteries charged.? The Concentrater and the CPap pulled about 9 Amps.
From: "srtimm@... [alinerchaleta-frames]"
To: alinerchaleta-frames@...
Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2016 9:02 PM
Subject: [alinerchaleta-frames] Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
?
You'd probably need a 3000 watt generator to power all the stuff you listed at the same time. ?Go out and find a 3000 watt generator and try and lift it. ?Once you find out how heavy it is, I doubt you'll want one. ?Unless you are really strong, it takes two people to store one in the car or truck bed. ?I think that pretty much everyone with small trailers use a minimal generator for ease of transport, and only run one major device at a time.
Running just one thing at a time you could certainly get by with a 2000 watt. ?You might even be able to get by with a 1000 watt unit, although you'd be pretty close to the limit on that for your ac, and if you tried to run the ac with a low battery the charger might draw too much current to run the ac at the same time.
Steve
|
Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
?
You'd probably need a 3000 watt generator to power all the stuff you listed at the same time. ?Go out and find a 3000 watt generator and try and lift it. ?Once you find out how heavy it is, I doubt you'll want one. ?Unless you are really strong, it takes
two people to store one in the car or truck bed. ?I think that pretty much everyone with small trailers use a minimal generator for ease of transport, and only run one major device at a time.
Running just one thing at a time you could certainly get by with a 2000 watt. ?You might even be able to get by with a 1000 watt unit, although you'd be pretty close to the limit on that for your ac, and if you tried to run the ac with a low battery the
charger might draw too much current to run the ac at the same time.
Steve
|
Re: Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
You'd probably need a 3000 watt generator to power all the stuff you listed at the same time. ?Go out and find a 3000 watt generator and try and lift it. ?Once you find out how heavy it is, I doubt you'll want one. ?Unless you are really strong, it takes two people to store one in the car or truck bed. ?I think that pretty much everyone with small trailers use a minimal generator for ease of transport, and only run one major device at a time.
Running just one thing at a time you could certainly get by with a 2000 watt. ?You might even be able to get by with a 1000 watt unit, although you'd be pretty close to the limit on that for your ac, and if you tried to run the ac with a low battery the charger might draw too much current to run the ac at the same time.
Steve
|
Best Generator to power "Entire" trailer at once?
Just purchased a 2017 Aliner Expedition. I'm hoping someone on here has already experience what size and brand of portable generator perhaps works better with regards to powering the entire unit at the same time. Meaning. for example powering the A/C (5K BTU), Small microwave, 3cu feet Refrigerator, all the lights (LED), A coffee maker and perhaps computer equipment. While charging cellular devices!!
Any assistance would be appreciated!!
-Tony
|
Carl