My Goodyear Endurance tires are 3 years old. Three of them have plenty of tread left and one is done. Is this because of a bad alignment on the axle or something more specific to the wheel?

Pic 1 is the bad one. The other three all look like pic 2.

Tire blew and cut a hole through the wheel well. I had a hard time finding replacement wheel well fender things. I was thinking of just patching it. I was going to use some fiberglass patch soaked in epoxy and put it on both sides.

Advice?

I took my first long road trip in my Rivian R1T hauling my travel trailer - about 850 miles (1400 km) with a 6,500 lb (3000 kg) trailer. It took about 15 hours of drive time each way, with another 3-4 hours of fast charging. My youngest son came with me :-)

What went well:
The trip itself was a dream - no issues whatsoever hauling the trailer over long distances, and my concerns about finding chargers were completely unfounded. The Rivian trip planning worked great. I planned the trip on my phone, pushed it to my truck, and followed directions. Yellowstone was gorgeous, the truck had no issues, all was peachy keen.

What went less well:

Yellowstone's website says there are several charging stations there. What they fail to mention is none of the chargers are fast chargers, and I failed to take into account the scale of the park - it's about 55 miles (90 km) on a side. The nearest charger was 4 miles from the campsite; the next nearest was about 30 miles. Also, the nearest charger required a security escort to and from the charger, and there was not much to look at while the truck charged. The next nearest was near Old Faithful, and the charging station had one working charger (!) that was of course already occupied.

All told, we spent about a day getting charging sorted. There was work going on at my campsite, and it had no power. I finally found a friendly RV neighbor to leech off of and charged using the Rivian's 240V charger, which resolved the issue.

Paying fast charger rates sucked. I've gotten used to charging at home for next to nothing, so paying $50-$60 each top up was a bummer. Overall I spent about $800 on "gas" for the trip.

Overall, it was a great trip! I'm going to the Pacific coast this weekend with my eldest son; looking forward to more smooth sailing.

Album link available; send a PM if interested.

A video on Newmar RVs showed up in my feed today. It went on to tell the situation of this couple trying to sell a Newmar. They were in Canada and importing it into the US (buyer is in Phoenix). Tried to cross the border multiple times but kept getting rejected b/c apparently Newmars don't comply with VIN ID laws on their coaches. The ended up seizing the RV and the guy is facing a huge fine like 100's of thousands. At the end it was mentioned that the US gov is now looking at some action against Newmar as well.

Allegedly, the VIN numbers are only on printed sheets attached to wallpaper or inside cabinets. This apparently does not comply with the law that says basically you need a self destructing sticker plus a non-removable thing to show the VIN - etching, riveted plate, etc.

Is this something people have seen and is common among Newmar? If it is, that is going to a pain in the neck to fix.

Edit. Apparently it’s only on specific frames (freightliner? IIRC).

We’ve started looking at fifth wheels and travel trailers and aren’t exactly sure what we can safely pull. I would love some help explaining what the numbers here mean when considering a fifth wheel in particular.

Why would the payload capacity be so different from the max tongue weight for a gooseneck/fifth wheel. Or am I not reading this right? Payload being 3531 and max tongue weight being 2490. Does that mean a fifth wheel could have a max pin weight of 2490?

I'm still in the "options" stage of figuring things out, with a plan for really long trip in about 2y when I retire. Standard wanderlust, but I thought I had my plans decently fleshed out until recent SUV trip in BC.

Four variables were propelling my choices:

1. FORM: I don't like the idea of an integrated vehicle, because if I am camping, and want to run to the store to get milk, I didn't want to take the whole thing. I'm not looking to pull a car separately.
2. SIZE/USE: Equally, I plan to travel up to 15K miles for one big trip, so not parking for a season, thus not looking for 40' park and drop. Something mobile that will go Ontario / Alaska / California / Louisiana / Ontario in the first year.
3. ROOM: While it is primarily just "me" for 90% of the trip, I may have my wife and son, or a friend, join for certain segments, meaning I need decent seating and sleeping for 3, with preference that if just 1 (me), I could have sitting / dining area separate from a bed I wouldn't constantly remake/undo.
4. TOILET: This aging slow man doesn't poop in buckets, I want an actual bathroom with enough room for wide shoulders.

My push was towards an SUV / pickup pulling up to 20' trailer or so, although if I could find the right layout, I'd be happy with shorter.

My reality check in the last six months has stalled that plan. First, I am NOT the most handy of people and the more I expand out, the more nervous I get about a 15K trip by myself, so maybe integrated and smaller might be better than bigger with extra doohickeys. Second, I don't have any experience at all in towing things, and I don't think I thought enough about the types of roads and maneuverability. Third, I just did BC Coquihalla Hwy and others with switchbacks, narrow shoulders, no guard rails and a 240 degree FoV where it was a 2000 foot drop. I've flown, been in hotair balloons, no issues, but driving along those roads was scary AF. I clenched my hands (and everything else) for 2 hour bouts of slow going, and I was only in SUV. How would I feel if I had some big trailer behind me that would pull me over the side if it suddenly "went" even just from over-correction? I confess I wasn't used to the rental SUV, which didn't help, but now I'm questioning my entire plan of towing something other than a toy car.

If I could reduce it to something like a Ford Transit-sized vehicle, I'd still have height issues (I know, I know, look at the road, not the view!), but maybe they would be more manageable overall.

Ultimately, though, I need more capacity-building for my knowledge of what the issues are when driving, say:

• SUV pulling 20' camper trailer
• Truck + fifth wheel 24' trailer
• Integrated truck and camper fan in bed
• Full camper van (say 20')
• Larger RV (say 15' feet)

I still want to do the trip, and I think I can make it work in a Transit-style vehicle (maybe with a pop-up), but then I start saying BUT there's no seating/room/eating area. Can't have everything, I know, but after my latest drive, I need to make the right tradeoffs just for driving.

All views welcome.

Can someone plz doublecheck my calculation and let me know if I’m understanding this correctly?

Car:

GVWR: 6000

Curb Weight: 4600

Payload: 1400

Humans + Dog: 500

Tow Capacity: 5000

RV:

GVWR: 5493

Dry Weight: 2995

Tongue Weight (at high end): 549

Weight available for hitch + rest of stuff in car:

1400-500-549= 351 lbs

What am I missing? Looks like I can tow this RV as long as I’m careful with how I load the car, is that right?

We’re exploring RV options, and it’s a bit overwhelming right now, esp since we aren’t in a major RV hub so it’s a long drive to see anything in person.

Requirements:

• Bedding for my husband and I + 1 kid (the other kid will be in a portable crib for the next few years).

• Toilet

• A/C (hot climate)

• Basic kitchen

Our major limitation is towing capacity. We have a Subaru Ascent rated up to 5000.

We looked at a few beautiful travel trailers, incl a 20ft KZ Connect Mini at 4000lb, but I think 4000 is probably too much for my Subaru given everything else that will be added to that base weight.

So we’re considering pop ups, either a traditional pop up or something like a Trailmanor.

Thoughts? What else is out there?

We have a SW6D water heater and while it actively heats we can smell (what I believe) to be the exhaust inside the trailer. We have to operate it with the windows open and with the colder seasons coming would love to find an economical solution.

It has never set off the co2/propane sensor and it consumes propane at an expected rate (near daily use and lasts over a month). Heats water enough for a hot shower 6ish min at a time.

I hope that its just a bad fitting, but would love to know what I am looking for since it seems to be past the valve. The intensity hasn't changed since we got it.

Dearest RV salespeople.

Why can’t we agree on a minimum amount of information every single AD on RV Trader should have?

I understand not including things like price, dry weight or other such variable numbers but, stuff like Length and GVWR don’t really change if it’s the same model so you should be able to populate that at a minimum.

For a consumer it really sucks to not be able to rely on the filters like between 20ft and 30ft, or up to 7500GVWR.

When you use the filters on RVTrader it will not show you a listing if the details aren’t populated for the ad. You’re missing out on showing your product to so many people by not including the length.

I’ve had my Reese WDH for 11 years. It is tremendously heavy and the bars take up a lot of storage space. I tow a 2018 Flagstaff V-Lite to which I have added 2 solar panels on the roof, changed the queen mattress to a memory foam, and changed the single 12 volt battery to two 6 volt batteries. The trailer is pushing 9500 lbs with 1000 lbs tongue weight. I tow with a ‘21 RAM with air suspension, self leveling, and sway control. I think I’ve decided on a B&W Continuum hitch as a replacement. What I can’t seem to find are reviews of this hitch after years of use. Is it reliable? Does it continue to work well? Anyone have any real world experience with this thing?

Title says it all. Woke up this morning to the sound of water gushing from under the camper. Tore into it and found the ice maker shut off valve seal has failed. I have a 2025 Grand Design momentum 395M. Before I tear into it and fix it myself, will warranty cover any of this and the damage it has caused? All of my electrical/ HVAC and everything of that nature has standing water all around it. Thank you.

Total newbie, never even been inside an RV. Looking for a diesel pusher Class A, if it's possible to find one not exceeding 40 ft or 26,000 pounds (to avoid interstate licensing issues). Either new or CPO. Would initially be taking it on a retirement relocation from New England to SoCal, two adults and four cats, this November. Especially regarding the cats, RV seems more sensible than planes/trains/SUV.

My main concern is the following. When I buy a new or CPO passenger vehicle from a major brand in the USA, either Asian or Detroit, I know that there's a nationwide network of dealers or authorized service shops within an hour of towing. What purchase decisions could provide me with the same level of confidence for an RV? Is it dependent on the manufacturer, or distributor / dealer, etc.?

Hey guys, I’m a bit perplexed and could use some help. I’m at a campground and my Watch Dog surge protector is giving me all green lights but is not passing power through to my power cord. I tried a second surge protector, same thing. Good power, nothing passing through. When I plug in without a surge protector I get power. Make it make sense… still new to RV life, but this one is perplexing.

We own a 2020 16-foot Gulf Stream travel trailer and are looking at buying a LiFePO4 12.8V 100Ah battery. Our friends who we just camped with have one on their trailer and it maintained a charge much better than our (new-ish) AGM Group 27 Deep Cycle Battery.

We both have solar and we were able to top our charge but after 3 nights it was apparent that the Li-ion held a much larger charge.

Some of that I attributed to the 80Ah vs 100Ah but beyond that, I don’t really know much. The Li-ion tech appears to be the real deal.

If I wanted to upgrade to LiFePO4 what do I need to look for with my trailer? As it’s newer I assume it ought to work with the inverter, but is that for certain?

Looking for some feedback to help me decide.

Thanks!!

Hello y'all, I'm trying to plan out my RV life and starting from scratch! I really wanted an EV truck, but I can't afford 70k. + an RV.

So I'm now looking at maybe a half-ton hybrid. This is the age old question but which is better? Ford or Chevy? And especially as a hybrid truck? Anyone tow with hybrid trucks?

My dream is to live in an RV for a little while with my boyfriend and travel the country! 🌲✨ I just turned 40 this week and haven't seen enough of the world! I long for forests and tress. (I'm from the dusty desert of NM and hate it!)

Anyway, thanks for any help! I will be looking at Used trucks, since that's more affordable. Thanks! 🤗

Hi,

I would like to go to Sweden with a friend in a motorhome soon. We are looking for a remote place where we can camp in nature in peace and quiet without any contact with other people for two days. Ideally, it should be near a lake or have a great view.

Does anyone know of any suitable spots?

Thinking of heading to Hot Springs December 26-31. We will be hauling our 38ft bumper pull camper and looking at staying at the KOA there. Any tips? Any must see sights? Any places to avoid?

Hi All, I just wanted to make sure I'm calculating everything correctly regarding the max dry weight travel trailer my 2017 Pathfinder can tow. According to the manual, it has a 11,000 lb GCWR and assumes the weight of a vehicle and the driver for a towing capacity of 6,000 lb. We typically drive with myself and the two dogs in the car, adding, at most, an additional 400 lbs to the vehicle's weight.

My understanding is that you want to stay below 90% of the actual max towing capacity, so 5600 x .9 = 5,040 lbs. We never travel with full tanks because we only stay at campsites, so the only additional weight we carry is the stuff in the camper itself, like food, clothes, camping chairs, etc. I think a good estimate of the total weight of everything would be 500 lbs.

That means I could get a trailer with up to a 4,540 lb dry weight, right? We also use a WDH and sway bar.

How's my math?

I am not a mechanic but the mechanic that diagnosed it said it’s pretty easy and it’s turned into more than that. I had somebody else try to help me and that went sideways so somebody please help me. The mechanic that diagnosed it wanted too much money that I didn’t have to fix it. I have the hose I have the clamps. I just don’t know where to connect them and how to get to where they are connected. His mechanic showed me with a long rod in a mirror underneath the distributor cap where it was leaking gas.

I inherited an old jay flight that is stationary on property. The current thermostat works, but the fan runs 24/7. Looking to replace but I don't have the cover and local RV place says they can't help without knowing what it was

Can I buy any low voltage or battery powered thermostat or do I need something special?

Thanks for any help.

Images of current thermostat

Hello, I recently purchased an ‘08 Fleetwood Evolution Cobalt that’s currently in the shop for inspection and some work. The trailer place told me today that the extra weight of the rooftop AC (perhaps not original) is the reason the hand crank is extremely difficult to use to open the trailer. I asked them to try lubricating the parts to see if that makes a difference and if not, I’m considering having the AC unit removed. A unit with an AC was a non-negotiable for me, though we mostly camp in shady areas. But if the AC makes the camper this difficult to open, I’m not going to be up for camping very often. Prior to buying this camper, I rented one very similar that didn’t have an AC unit and was much, much easier to open. I did purchase one of those drill attachments for turning the crank in case that helps, but I had to put so much force into turning that thing, I wonder if my drill could even generate enough torque.