Did you know that Dave answers almost every single email he receives? Now that’s what you call impressive! He’s also what you’d call a great guy. That being said, not every email he answers needs a long article like you’re used to seeing here. But he has A TON of other emails that could help answer some of your questions—just in a shorter format!
Dave is busy at the Florida RV SuperShow this week (say “hi” or attend one of his seminars!), so we’re taking some of his shorter email answers and consolidating them into one article.
Here are a few:
Better water pressure from onboard pump than city water. Why?
Dear Dave,
Why do I have better water pressure when I am using my “onboard” water tank and pump than when I am hooked up to “city” water with the regulator set at 40#? —Ben, 2006 Tiffin Phaeton
Dear Ben,
I would suspect your Tiffin has a high-volume water pump which could be 45 psi up to 55 psi, or 3.5 gallons per minute. That would be much higher than your reducer limits at the city fill. You should be able to see the specs on the pump.
If it is 55 psi and your water lines are not leaking, I would suggest getting a pressure regulator that is adjustable and turning it up to match the pump.
Can’t get Schwintek motors back in after manual retraction
Dear Dave,
I had an electric issue and had to disengage the slide motors to get the couch in. The electrical issue is resolved but I can’t get the motors to drop back down to re-engage. I spin the motor 360 degrees to try and align what I assume is a D shaft and can’t get it to drop in. Help? —Tom, 2018 Rockwood 2109s
Dear Tom,
The first thing I notice is the housing where the mechanism sits has a rivet missing, so you might have that piece getting in the way. Here is the diagram of how that motor should fit into the rail:
Here is a photo of the replacement motor listed on Lippert’s website. Notice the notched piece of the lower shaft that needs to fit into the coupler. It might be the housing is making the angle slightly off.
How much does my new RV weigh and what will tow it?
Dear Dave,
This is the first camper I have ever owned. It is in excellent shape, but I looked everywhere for a weight sticker, to no avail. Do you have any idea of what it might weigh, and what size truck do l need to pull it? I have Googled everything l possibly could think of. Thanks so much. —Becky, 1986 Terry Taurus by Fleetwood, Bunkhouse, 31′, all aluminum
Dear Becky,
Congratulations, and welcome to the RV world!
There should be a data plate on the tongue of your trailer that gives the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), which is the maximum the unit can weigh with all your cargo, water, and propane. Back in 1986, RV manufacturers had a paper data sheet that was supposed to list the dry weight of the vehicle posted inside, but this is most likely long gone.
Once you determine the GVWR, then you can look at what tow vehicle will safely handle that type of weight.
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
Read more from Dave here.
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For anyone needing to find their nearest CAT scale.
https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/
To get the best information, I like to first take just my tow vehicle, full fuel and however I would have that loaded for camping, through the scale first. Each axle on a separate scale pad. Then I attach the camper, loaded with full water and all gear, through the scale. Be sure each axle of the tow vehicle and camper are on different weight pads on the scale so you get individual axle weights. Now you can determine how much load the camper is carrying on each of its axles as well as how much weight it is directly applying to the vehicle axles and total camper weight, as loaded.
A simple answer to Becky would be a 3/4T truck or equivalent, even though it’s aluminum construction at 31’ it’s still a big sail in the wind. Whether from a passing semi or just a wind gust from the side, the 3/4T chassis will control the trailer much better.