T-2570 just bought, getting ready for Spring

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by Torskdoc423

Hitch box is truck receiver.

Empty with Full load Fuel is 17-1/4".
Loaded with gear and 2 persons of approx weight as us. 17-1/8"

Ball is Standard 2-5/16 short shank. 3-1/4" total with added 1/4"(top is flat) to account for scalping.

Top of ball mount on A frame (inside) with trailer at the 4 link free level is approx 18" +/- 1/8".

OK got it. Glad we clarified that. An F350 with a 17 1/8" ground up to top of the 2" receiver pin box is well, different. I never thought you were in that area. 3/4 and 1 ton vans have low receivers and need a large rise shank to get up to the camper ball, but the pickups, generically are the other way around. They are sky high and you have to get down to the camper.

I see some of the issue now after getting that clarified. I have your Reese hitch (shank and head) in the barn on another project camper I can use for dimensions of the shank holes. Let me think on this and I'll report back. I'll sketch up a side view of the hitch setup and we can see how to make this work that you can use the Reese tilting hitch you now have. Or, it will show it won't work out that way.

Be back soon.

Thanks

John

[Torskdoc423]

I ended up tearing down the whole hitch, and grit blasted, primed and 2 coats of Black Rustoleum. New drawtite 12,000 lb. ball. The old one had peeling Chrome, and pitted from 25 years of use.


Put the truck on the level part of the pad.



Measurements from asphalt as follows;
"A" Receiver box TOP = 17" (1" lift kit)
"B" Bottom of Ball (Top of Trunnion) 15" at center of hole.
"C" Top of Ball (including 1/8" to round out top) 18-3/4"
"D" Ball is 3-3/4" tall including rounding up the top).



Trunion is connected to the bottom and middle bolt holes in the Receiver shank. This is as low as it will go.



With trailer leveled to 4 link level. Front is 17-13/16" Rear is 17-1/2 at bottom of siding at all corners.


"A" Frame Ball Mount (top outside) is at......18-5/8"
Sitting on tires and "A" frame jack. No stabilizers.




No doubt this will change when loaded fully, but don't expect much change on the truck side. Just me and Christa. Truck & trailer has all stuff in it from last trip. All have to load is frozen and chilled food about 50# in fridge and load one cooler (60#) in the back so heights should be fairly accurate.



Larry

[Torskdoc423]

Here's a pic of the other receiver shank. This is the one I bought back in March when the truck had the 4" rear lift on it. Got it at Amazon.


Reese 3215 Weight Distributing Hitch Bar - 10-3/4" Drop, 8-3/4" Rise, 1400 lbs.

This is too long in the down position (about 4" above the ground) and when I hit a dip or shoulder it scrapes.

[JohnB]

Hi Larry,

Gee, that old hitch looks great! Your paint job came out well.

I started in on your prior dimensions today, but I see you now have new ones that are very clear. I mocked up one of my spare old Reese hitches today to show how we can make the prior dimensions come close to towing a level camper with your now nice and painted up hitch and shank. I will do the same thing with the new dimensions and post them so you can see it.

I noticed the ball height on the camper now grew to 18 1/2" as you last measured it. I found a locator sheet for a 2003 7,000 # GVWR class Sunline camper. It is not your exact model, but they set the frame/A frame up all the same on the non slide campers for that model year. The 2003 7,000# GVWR campers were set as a 18 1/2" ball height. So that number you came back with is very close.

I see you are measuring the frame to the ground in the front and back to declare level camper. I'll pass along what I have found out on these camper frames. Most any brand does this. On an older camper, figuring out where level is, is an approximation. When the camper was new, the frame was stiff and using the bottom of the frame was a good choice. You could even level off the siding as they built them that level when new.

But, I have found, as many towing years go by, frame sag sets in.

*Over the axle area is very stiff, there is not a lot a sag between the front and rear hanger.
* The frame behind the rear axle spring hanger is cantilevered out unsupported. Over miles and miles of towing on a camper, the back sags down hill starting at the rear axle spring hanger.
* The main frame rails between the main A frame header all the way to the front axle spring hanger, sags. Starting at the front axle spring hanger going towards the front, the frame starts to sag down and goes back up as you approach the main frame header.
* The A frame is welded onto the camper main frame. In that welding process, the top of the A frame can be dead parallel with the main frame, be welded on going downhill or up hill in relation to the main frame. Point is, suggest not to use the A frame rails to declare level camper.

The longer the camper, the more towed miles and the years adding up, the frame sag gets worse. If you pull a string down the length of the camper under the frame you can see the frame sag. You can even pull a string down the long side of the camper using the siding joints as a reference and see the sag there too. On some campers, even doing a good eye ball check sighting down the siding you can see the frame sag. So where does someone declare where to measure level from? Good question.

When at camp, to level the camper for the fridge, I check it with a level on the floor in front of my fridge for left to right. For front and back, I mounted levels on the siding that stay with the camper. The front to back is more involved for towing as we want the most level target to set the towing stance. I check the siding joints at the axle area, the front of the camper and then pick the happy medium to declare level for towing. I also make sure the fridge floor is not way out either. The ball height then turns into what it is. I never use behind the rear axle siding or frame as I know that sags down hill most all the time.

I am just mentioning all this, as you are working to tweak your hitch into the best it can be. But it all starts with a level camper for towing. I was just pointing out that on an older camper, and right now any Sunline is in that group, even the 2007's, frame sag occurs and is normal as long as it does not get too far out. There just is not enough steel structure in the camper frames to hold something that long, that straight over many miles of towing.

I'll be back soon with the updated numbers.

John

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by Torskdoc423

snip..

Put the truck on the level part of the pad.

Measurements from asphalt as follows;
"A" Receiver box TOP = 17" (1" lift kit)
"B" Bottom of Ball (Top of Trunnion) 15" at center of hole.
"C" Top of Ball (including 1/8" to round out top) 18-3/4"
"D" Ball is 3-3/4" tall including rounding up the top).


Trunion is connected to the bottom and middle bolt holes in the Receiver shank. This is as low as it will go.

With trailer leveled to 4 link level. Front is 17-13/16" Rear is 17-1/2 at bottom of siding at all corners.


"A" Frame Ball Mount (top outside) is at......18-5/8"
Sitting on tires and "A" frame jack. No stabilizers.

Hi Larry,

I think you may now have a combo hitch parts you can work with to get what you want/need. I’ll do most of this in pics so you can see.

Two things to start with.

1. Truck Squat. This is a nickname of what we call the “drop” in truck receiver height (squat) from the weight and WD hitch settings with the camper hitched on the tow ball.

2. Your trailer ball height from ground up to the “top” of the ball coupler is 18 5/8” when the camper is level. I am using 1/8” ball coupler steel thickness to create a target of 18 1/2" ball height for the camper being declared as level.

By good fortune, I had all the parts of your hitch as extras to work with. Your new tow ball that measures 3 3/4" to the theoretical top center of the ball, is what I refer to as a Hi Rise ball. The shoulder at the bottom is thicker or longer and it raises the ball up higher. Every brand does the hi rise a little different. In this case, that taller ball you bought can help get your combo almost level. It is a trick you can play on how to raise the camper when hitch head hole moves are too much.

Here is the test setup. Using the standard Reese 54970 WD shank. This vintage of Reese trunnion style hitch head is the same as yours. Reese changed that head many times over the years. Your looks to align with the mid to late 90’s, to early 2000’s years head that was being sold. It may be older too, as some dealers have them on the shelf for many years.



The tow ball is a Curt hi raise ball that measures 3 3/4” to the theoretical top of the ball.


The hitch head is up one bolt hole from the bottom of the shank. You can see the one hole open at the bottom of the shank and 1 hole open at the top.

The head is tilted back with 3 teeth exposed. 3 V crests or valleys.(root) are exposed. I suggest this as a starting place. You may need more tilt.


I used a rafter square pressed tight to the shank to project the top side of the shank out to the tow ball area.


Then measured from the bottom of the square to the theoretical top of the ball. This rise is 3 5/16” on the hi rise ball.


Here are the results. We will talk about truck squat here in a moment as it is a variable that changes with WD bar tension settings.


Truck squat: I normally estimate 1” to 1 1/2" for your size truck, WD bars, and loaded camper tongue weight. You will end up approximately in that range when the front of the truck is a little higher than unhitched height. Granted this number will change as you tweak in the WD. For the math to see how this all stacks up, I used 1 1/4" for truck squat.

The tow ball height comes out at 18 9/16”. This puts the camper 1/16” nose high on a 18 1/2" camper frame ball height. Again, truck squat will move this up or down as you tweak in the WD settings. Or even go around the block once and not move anything. The truck springs often give you +/- 1/8” from nominal just driving around.

That combo looks to be the best to start with. I'm not sure with that head tilt how many chain links will be under tension, take your pic and give it a try and tweak from there. Maybe 6 links under tension? You can tweak the head tilt as needed to get finer WD movement to and from the front axle. Make sure you do not go any less than 5 links in tension so you do not bind the chains is a turn in the snap up bracket. Tilting the head back, pushes more weight forward and also slightly lowers the ball in vertical height. Going less ball tilt back shifts less weight and raises the ball up a little. You may get a camper ball height shift up or down with each head tilt adjustment.

I also tried the same hitch head setup but just changed the tow ball to a more standard height ball. This ball I have is 3 3/16” to the theoretical top of the ball. It lowered the camper to be nose down by about 9/16”.

Here is the setup. The ball is black oxide coated in this case


Using the more standard height ball, it create 2 11/16” above the top of the WD shank


And the diagram.



Both setups, again with 1 1/4" truck squat create 8” ground clearance on the bottom of the shank to the ground. I have found 6” is the minimum you want on 3/4 to 1 ton suspension to not scrub when you bounce over pot holes. So with the 8” you should be good short of a mega pot hole you loose the tire in.

Hope this helps and let us know how it come out.

John

[Torskdoc423]

Something doesn't add up on the drawing. If you've got 17" with the truck static, then subtract 1-1/4" for truck squat, that's 15-3/4" not 15-1/4". The 8 becomes 8-3/4" etc, etc.



I pulled it up to the front driveway (flat), and got the following measurements with it on the WD and 7 links tension(4 free) and again with 6 links tension (5Free). Trunnion is angled with 3 valleys showing on the back side of the adjusting washer.



7 links Tension (4 free).

Receiver height. 16-3/4"
Ball Mount (A Frame) outside top 19-1/2"
Trunnion @ 3 valleys behind(aft) adjusting washer / shim


6 Links Tension (5 Free)
Receiver Height 16-7/8"
Ball Mount (A Frame) outside top 19-5/8"

Trunnion @ 3 Valleys aft of Washer/Shim


Trunnion is bolted to the shank @ 3rd and 6th holes from top (6 in all). No change from y'day measurements off trailer.



Overall @ 7 links under tension (4 links free)



Trunion Angled back 3 valleys.



Receiver box top height 7 links tension (4free) 16-3/4"





Changed tension on bars to 6 Links Tension (5 links free).




Rolled it back and forth on driveway and hit brakes hard to bounce and rebound. Settled btwn 16-7/8" and 17". Closer to 17 tho. If I had a guess a short hair over 16-15/16.






Measurements on corners at bottom of siding is within 1/8" all 4 corners of the 6 link tension/5 link free measurements on post 69-70.


From post #69
Hitched with EQ. 4 Links from loose end of Chain. 7 Tension



1st truck number is Wheel well. in para is at mark on bumpers. Trailer is bottom of siding in corner.



................TRUCK............................. ................TRLR

FRONT.........38-1/2" (28-1/2").............................17-13/16" Trailer

REAR..........38-5/8" (18-1/8")..............................17-1/2"

TRLR Nose High by 5/16"

Truck nose high by 1/4"



Hitched with EQ. 5 Links free. 6 links Tension


..................TRUCK........................... ..................TRLR

FRONT.........38-3/8" (28-3/8")............................ 18-1/2"
REAR..........38-3/4" (18-14")............................. 17-1/4"
Truck Nose High by 1/8" from unhitched. Trailer nose high 1-1/4"



As the rig sits right now on 6 links tensioned, it's within 1/16 of the measurements above.



BTW the other drawbar is a Reese 3215. with the trunnion at the top hole and ball vertical the top of the ball is 15-1/2" from ground. with the receiver box @ 17". and 5" clearance. NO GO. Gonna need something inbetween. So far the CURT 17120 looks like it may give me the flexibility and it's short enough to NOT hang up or scrape unless I go over a curb. Hopefully not.



I'll test it all this week. All hills and valley's, not a flat road btwn here and Codurus State park.

[JohnB]

Your right, the 15 1/4" is a goof. It would be 15 3/4". You are correct. I hate when that happens Sorry about that.

This is why we show and check to catch mix ups on dimensions. It happens, trust me.

I need to re-review what you last posted as everything would be 1/2" higher. I will have to check, but possibly using a standard height tow ball in the 3 1/8" to 3 3/16" tall range will lower the tow ball down 9/16" to make up for the 1/2" higher 15 3/4" at the truck receiver, and you be closer to level on the camper. Hitch shank still has one hole above and below the trunnion head on the shank like my pic on the standard height ball.

A thought, going the tow ball change to lower the ball may help you lower the camper while being able to shift weight to the front axle if needed. For a test, you can try your old ball. The shank issue is, as you said, moving a entire hole up or down on the shank is a 1 3/16" move of ball height as the hole spacing centers are so large.

Will review your latest info, my goof and report back.

Thanks

John

[JohnB]

Hi Larry,

When you get time, this may help.

First off, big picture is, what is your goal for weight distribution on the truck? Meaning what are adjusting the WD hitch settings trying to accomplish? Equal squat, front end back at unhitched weight, front end lighter then unhitched etc?

The guide I go by on my F350, ( after tweaking it into optimum and learning the truck response from trial and error, ) is to target the front axle to be approx. 100 to 150# lighter then unhitched weight on a 1,600# loaded camper tongue weight. This helps me on the oversteer issue we talked about before and it allows the rear axle to carry more weight as it has plenty of capacity.

Your camper only has approx. 1,080# loaded tongue weight so you could have a different target on front end weights gains or reductions. On the rear axle, in my case, the camper is close to 10,000# loaded GVW and left to right stability in the truck is very important as the camper weighs more than the truck. I found, I needed enough truck bed load, loaded camper tongue weight, and WD hitch settings to have the rear helper springs (overloads) kiss the rear top frame hanger. I have no rear axle roll bar installed. The helper springs kissing the frame hangers creates a left to right stabilizing effect on the truck. It was a global shift in positive stability feeling for my setup when I backed away from trying to get the front axle back to unhitched weight. Which is where the 100 to 150# lighter front end came from. When using this truck on lighter campers, in the 5,500 to 7000# range, the overload spring stabilizer kissing help is not as important as the truck in theses cases outweighs the camper.

Does your have a roll bar on the rear axle? Some do, some don't. Semi's passing can create left to right stability issues too. I have no semi issues now that the helper springs kiss the frame hanger. It was not that good before when they did not touch. If I didn't have enough bed weight to fix my issue, I was going to get a rear axle roll bar the problem was that notable.

The basic method of setting up the WD hitch I use is:

1. Set the WD on the truck to optimize the truck handling. This is based on the above goal for WD on the front axle. This comes first. To accomplish this, the number of chain links under tension changes WD bar tension, and hitch head tilt changes WD bar tension. Those are the only 2 adjustments there are for WD setting once the truck bed load and the trailer tongue weight is set.

2. Adjust the hitch head or ball height on the hitch head, to level out the camper as close to level when towing within reason. I prefers slight nose down over much of nose up if I cannot get level, as we can only get it so close. This camper being level comes second and not part trying set the WD on the truck. This occurs by moving the hitch head up and down the shank and when needed, changing the ball rise length to level out the camper.

The order needs to be task 1 first, then task 2. And not try to make task 1 adjust for camper towing stance.

Options for hitch setup.

I redid the shank and hitch head setup sketches to create 3 options for you to look at. I fixed my goof of the truck squat from before. Truck squat is something that happens from the overall WD setting process, but the numbers I picked fit for having the front axle to at or lighter than unhitched.

1. This first setup comes out close to a level camper. On paper, the camper is 1/16” nose down targeting 18 1/2 camper ball height. It needs the hitch head moved up 1 hole from the bottom and you can see a hole open on the top and bottom of the shank. 3 valleys of head tilt towards the camper. This setup needs a standard height tow ball, around 3 1/8 to 3 3/16” length to the top of the theoretical ball diameter.



2. This second one comes creates a very nose high towing camper. On paper, the camper is 9/16” nose down targeting 18 1/2 camper ball height. The hitch head is moved up 1 hole from the bottom and you can see a hole open on the top and bottom of the shank. 3 valleys of head tilt towards the camper. This setup uses a hi rise tow ball at 3 3/4" length to the top of the theoretical ball diameter.



3. Third creates a very nose low towing camper. On paper, the camper is 11/16” nose down targeting 18 1/2 camper ball height. The hitch head is moved to the bottom and you can see 2 holes open on the top and bottom of the shank. 3 valleys of head tilt towards the camper. This setup uses a hi rise tow ball at 3 3/4" length of the top of the theoretical ball diameter.



From the 3 above, setup no 1 comes the closest to towing the camper level. Again as a starting place. It may end up slightly more nose down or nose up, but it is closer than the other 2 options.

I tried to align the last truck weights to fender heights. Ideally the next time you hit the scales, take fender heights at the scale parking lot. Fuel in the tank, weight in the camper etc may all be a little different later on as the weights and the truck fenders do not seem to be right on.

From your last weighing, and doing the math for your 208# on the truck step, this setup creates the front tend to be 80# heavier then unhitched.

From reply my no 75 reply. Snip..
Truck and camper hitched with WD engaged. The 5 links free (6 tensioned) adds 80# more to the front end then unhitched axle weight. (4,660 - 4,580= 80)

From your fender heights, on post 86

Originally Posted by Torskdoc423

Hitched with EQ. 5 Links free. 6 links Tension


..................TRUCK........................... ..................TRLR

FRONT.........38-3/8" (28-3/8")............................ 18-1/2"
REAR..........38-3/4" (18-14")............................. 17-1/4"
Truck Nose High by 1/8" from unhitched. Trailer nose high 1-1/4"

As the rig sits right now on 6 links tensioned, it's within 1/16 of the measurements above.

The truck by itself,

Originally Posted by Torskdoc423
UNHITCHED completely

FRONT......38-1/4" (28-1/4")
Rear.........40.00" (20.5")

Unless the truck loads changed, 5 links free, (6 tensioned) added 80# to the front axle.

The fender heights however show, 5 links free, (6 tensioned) have the front end 1/8” higher suggesting a lighter front end and not 80# heavier.

That 1/8” might be load changes or just spring action response. As I said, driving around the block can change +/- 1/8” real easy.

The fender heights get you close, scale weights are closer, the 2 measurements are only so close to aligning, but not exact.

Also to note, you are correct, the WD shank had 6 holes, the hole center line spacing is 1 1/4" and not the 1 3/16” I noted earlier. I confirmed this tonight with a caliper. The hitch head is drilled at 3 3/4" holes centers and 1 1/4 equally divides into 3 3/4".

Have a good trip, and report back when you get time.

Hope this helps

John

[Torskdoc423]

Goal is to have the trailer as level as I can conceivably get it while staying fairly level on the truck. I don't mind a little front end high as long as the GAWR front and rear aren't exceeded. And I'm close.



NOTE: My original ball (Reese 2-5/16 low rise 10000 # and the new Drawtite 2-15/16" low rise 12K# are the same height.



Note 2: The truck has front and rear sway bars.



We went to Cordurus State Park 3 weeks ago and took the back roads all the way up as I wanted to see how well it handled back country up and down, curve road, etc. Did very well No bucking, sway, etc. Trailer stuck like glue and really didn't notice it behind me unless I hit the brakes, then Jerk and up against the belts (I like brakes a little agressive, but not skidding). Got the Hurricane (western fringe) Rained like crazy Tuesday. No leaks. Rained like a cow pi**ing on a flat rock.

[JohnB]

Hi Larry, Glad your trip went well. Nice looking camping spot

Originally Posted by Torskdoc423

Goal is to have the trailer as level as I can conceivably get it while staying fairly level on the truck. I don't mind a little front end high as long as the GAWR front and rear aren't exceeded. And I'm close.

Yes, fully agree on the goal to get the camper as level you can. And there are WD hitch shank settings to help get to that goal. To the truck being level, when all is said and done it may be by coincidence with today’s thinking of setting up WD that the truck be level. The older way of thinking with "equal squat" on setting the WD also talked to level truck.

In your case, you may end up closer to level due to lowering the back of the truck. And being level is not a bad thing, however if someone was making WD chain tension adjustments or WD head tilting adjustments to create a level truck, that would go against the new way of thinking for WD setting in the industry of today's thinking. The front axle weight to be lighter then unhitched is the newer approach for setting the WD. And pending which new truck, they only want half the weight returned to the front axle that was lost by towing on the ball. The truck stance after setting WD sort of ends up being, what it ends up being after returning weight to the front end as needed. Level is not a measure of optimum WD like it use to be.

On your axle weights, yes for sure the need is to be at or under all those ratings. You mentioned you were "close". Actually you have good reserve on axle and GVWR ratings from what I saw by your weights. Since I thought you were subscribing to front axle being lighter then unhitched while towing, the front will have more reserve capacity then it normally does riding around with no camper. The rear axle will have over 2,000# of reserve. And the front and rear axle weights after WD are in the same big league to being semi balanced with the rear axle being only a few hundred pounds more than the front.

Where did you notice you were close?

NOTE: My original ball (Reese 2-5/16 low rise 10000 # and the new Drawtite 2-15/16" low rise 12K# are the same height.

OK understoood, and that was why I needed you to confirm the ball height, you stated 3 3/4" tall for that brand/ball you have. It is taller than other brands standard ones. Some hi rise balls are 3 3/4".

Note 2: The truck has front and rear sway bars.

That is good news!

We went to Cordurus State Park 3 weeks ago and took the back roads all the way up as I wanted to see how well it handled back country up and down, curve road, etc. Did very well No bucking, sway, etc. Trailer stuck like glue and really didn't notice it behind me unless I hit the brakes, then Jerk and up against the belts (I like brakes a little agressive, but not skidding.

Good that the truck handled well. If when you get it out on the highway, if you do not like the feel in the truck with the semi’s passing, let’s talk as there is a way to help lower that to almost not being there with your truck and WD hitch.

[Torskdoc423]

Thanks John. On the "Honey Do" front. Christa doesn't like the sink/faucet in the kitchen,(TOO SMALL" and "SPLASHES too much from Faucet). It needed a faucet anyway, So I did some down and dirty measurements and put in a 22x25 single bowl, 7" deep Stainless ELKAY with an Amazon Special (sarcasm) Faucet.



Cut on 2 sides to get it to fit, glued 1x1 strips under the edges, clamped overnight, then installed the sink. NO LEAKS, NO SMELLS. Since pic taken the hole has gotten a cap.


When Momma's Happy, everyone's Happy. When Momma ain't happy, nobody else is either.


Noticed that the AWNING Lower Mounts are pulling on the Alum siding both front and rear. Not a good sign.



It's either take off the sides and replace the framing (which I'll probably do in the spring) OR mount the Awning off Frame arms built specifically for the awning and welded to the frame. Then a 4" x 4" triangular brace midway down on both sides of mount to minimize for and aft movement.






Whatcha think? The awning Support arm is adjustable, so it's not a problem extending them.

[JohnB]

Hi Larry,

Real nice job on the kitchen sink. Looks great! Thanks for sharing.

On the awning arms, I'll reply to this a little later with some pics. Making a bracket off the frame to hold the awning can be done. You may need a gusset on the 12" direction. The new awning mount does not deal with the issue of the the potential wet wood creating the situation. If you are planning on doing the repair next spring to the wood, then a welded on awning bracket may create a more difficult outer band board fix getting in that space. A bolted on awning bracket could help overcome that issue verses welding the bracket on.

I have pics of what the floor structure and band board all looks like with the siding is off to share so you can think through the repair and maybe then decide when to deal with the awning. I'll post later. The bigger need is, where did the leak come from to make the bottom band board go bad? Many times, the floor gets infected due to a leak or leaks from above. How far above, is part of the investigation. More on this later.

John

[Torskdoc423]

Getting set up for the last run this year. I had the sink full (cleaned the fridge) and dumped it down the drain. Later I moved the truck and noted water where none should be (under the tanks). Looked underneath and water was dripping from the outlet of the gray tank. The 2570 has a side center drain that is in the middle of the trailer behind the black tank. 35 gallon, approx 57" L x 39"wide and 6" deep. Outlet is 1.5".



Drained the gray tank (the lawn loves it, LOL!) and poked around underneath. There was a crack starting at 6:00 at the flange, following the flange edge to tank, counter clockwise to approx 9:30 (looking at the tank from the outlet piping.). BUMMER!



Hunted Home Depot and Lowes and finally found some 45 miles away near where I used to live, so drove down and got 1 can of ABS Cleaner, 2 can's (all 8oz) of black ABS Cement, bondo spatula's, and some fiberglass cloth.



Used the cleaner to prime the tank 12 out from outlet, flange, and 3" of the outlet pipe, cut 12" lengths of 2" wide strips of cloth, plus an 8"x8" square with a 1.5" hole in center, and split on bottom to edge. Got a fairly heavy layer on one side, laid the square in and finished adhereing the cloth in, squeeging it with the spreader, ensuring a good bond. Then put a layer of cement on the cloth and re-inforced it radially from the center, overlaying the pieces on the pipe. Let dry 4 hours and put on another skim coat of cement to smooth it all out. Let dry overnight and partially filled the tank (took 9 sinkfulls. NO LEAKS! As this is temporary it ain't purty, but it DO work. Gotta find a generic 30-35 gallon tank that has approx dimensions. So far they've all been too narrow and too deep. I may have to go down to a 25gal tank.



But, that will be in the spring.

[Torskdoc423]

So in between curing the ABS Cement, and at the urging of CinCtrailer, I spent Sunday, Monday, and part of Tuesday, either on the roof or on a ladder most of the day, cleaning and then re-coating the roof. Initially put 2 coats down, around the fixtures out at least 6" by brush on a pole, and edges. 4 hours to overnight between coats. Then 3 coats on the whole enchilada via a 3/4" nap roller.


As the roof will most likely get replaced when I open the back end next year, I went with HENG's Rubber roof coating. Used almost 3 gallons. One of the vent covers broke (degradation of plastic) so I ordered 2 new ones. They'll get replaced after we get back late next week. In the mean time a little duct tape to hold it together. I took the picture before I put on the duct tape.









Little trip to Strausburg Pa for the week.

[JohnB]

Sounds like you were busy!

The roof looks good from a distance.

Have a good trip.

[Torskdoc423]

At Mill Bridge Village Campground in Strasburg, Pa. Tomorrow's detour on the way home is Denver Pa, for pictures in front of old SUNLINE PLANT #1. Then home. Rained Cat's and Dog's last night. NO leaks. Walnut trees in full Attack mode. Sound like bombs hitting roof. So far so good. Them suckers HURT when they hit yer noggin! LOL. We have the only SUNLINE here, it being the oldest and smallest unit in the whole campground. Everything else is either 5th wheels and Class "A"s, the 5th wheels lifted high enough off the ground to induce nose bleeds from the altitude.

[Torskdoc423]

Side trip to Denver Pa. In front of old #1 plant

[JohnB]

Bummer there are no new Sunline's behind the fence at the Sunline factory.

Nice looking camping rig pic!

[Torskdoc423]

Originally Posted by JohnB

Bummer there are no new Sunline's behind the fence at the Sunline factory.

Nice looking camping rig pic!

Thanks on the Rig pic.



It was kinda sad taking that picture in front of the old plant. Next time we go up there (in the spring), we'll stop by the #2 plant in Leola (about 10 miles away from the Denver plant. IIRC it's got a welding supply Co in there now, or some other contruction co.



Winterized it and she's put to bed for the winter. On 6-ton jack stands with the wheels off the ground.



Battery is on a 1A trickle maintainer and disconnected from the trailer. Gas secured and pressure bled off.

Tanks disconnected from lines and tanks capped.

Water system drained, blown out, and 3 gallons of Antifreeze in the water tank and pumps thru lines.

Water heater secured, drained and left open.

Fridge secured, wiped down and left open.

faucets left open.

All windows rigged for watertightness, and unit wrapped in 20' x 30' H.D. tarp.


Will unwrap the sarchophogus in Late March, Early April.

[Torskdoc423]

John;


Almost 2 yrs later and the Sunny is doing fine. I did however trade in the 2004 6.0L for a 1500 Silverado (2012) 5.3L, 6spd (6L80E), and 3.42rear. According to the book, it can pull a max trailer weight of 9500#'s. The Sunny's weight hasn't changed appreciably from 2 yrs ago. Bumper height and hitch height is approx same as the 6.0 and I left the hitch as is from the 6.0 to the Silverado. I took it over to the Firehouse for the level lot, and using the GM recommended procedure(it's in the manual), I took measurements of the FRONT wheel well height (thru the center of the wheel) and got 38.25" UNLOADED. Rear was 38.75".



I then as a baseline hitched up and set the bars to 5 links from the free end. Rear squated 1.25" which put it at 37.5". Front raised up to 39". Seemed a bit loose steering(not bad but noticable), so I set the bars at 6 links from free end. (This is the only change I made to the whole shebang). That brought front down to 38-7/16" and steering tightened up nicely. Top of the tongue (ball dome) sits @ 18.4". The trailer sides right at the wheel wells on the trailer measure within 1/8" front to back with the front lower. The truck is pretty much level now (slightly nose high, but not really noticable)


Granted it doesn't pull like the 6.0L, but the ride is a lot nicer and we mainly go short trips anyway (<100miles). Plus it's easier for her to drive to Ms. or Az. when we go see family or friends. (Rides very much like my old Yukon Xl did).



Pics after setting it up.