Menu

Show posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Show posts Menu

Messages - rgb13qbb

#1
Upgrades and Modifications / Re: Mattress thoughts 21 RBS
November 01, 2017, 01:36:39 PM
We replaced the original 60x80 inch queen mattress in our 2012 13QBB with the 5.5 Elation mattress from Mattressinsider. They are a Denver Colorado based company / USA manufacturer.   https://www.mattressinsider.com/memory-foam-rv-mattresses-2.html  We are thrilled with the mattress, it rivals the comfort of the $2,000 box spring and mattress at home!  I have used hunting clothing with CoolMax fabric for years and it works as great on bedding as well. The ability to flip the mattresses and have the choose of firmness is a great added value. Mattressinsiders customer service is second to none. The second trip with our new mattress I noticed when we stripped the bedding off at the end of the trip that there was edge seam that was open for about three inches. I called Mattressinsiders and they had a warranty replacement to us in five days at no expense to us what so ever. On top of that they said if we knew of a charity or needy family that could use the mattress to donate it to them. My wife stitched the seam and we found the mattress a new home. Great products, great service, you can not beat that.
#2
New Members / Re: New from central PA
October 24, 2017, 04:29:44 PM
Rob:
How was your trip to Parker Dam State Park? Nothing like hearing the bulls bugling during the rut.

Randy
#3
General Q & A / Re: Toilet flange
October 24, 2017, 09:36:04 AM
Frisco:
One other thing, if you go the Sioux flange round and "flatten" out the rolled edges as outlined below make sure you do not flatten out the "tabs" formed into the two toilet retaining bolt recesses otherwise the bolts will spin and not tighten up. I found when I did my flange fix that the tabs fit into the area broken away on the original plastic flange with no other modification necessary.

I did consider using an angle grinder and cutting the rolled edges off. That seemed like a lot more work that it was worth and flattening out the edges worked just fine.

When I did my flange repair my first thought was to follow a process as pretty much laid out by DavidM. However, after looking at the flange to pipe fitment I could see where I would likely have ended up dropping the black  water tank and replacing all the pipe from the tank up. In my case the "overlay" replacement flange was an easier option. Assess your problem and the chose the best option that will work for you.

Two engineers on this one project that is scary! You have DavidM, a chemical engineer, and me a mechanical engineer, both giving you good advise.
#4
General Q & A / Re: Toilet flange
October 24, 2017, 06:44:58 AM
Frisco:
Typically the issue with the toilet flange is that either or both of the two recesses molded into the toilet flange to accept the two toilet mounting bolts have broken away  and the toilet will not pull down tight to the bathroom floor pan. Again typically most of, if not all, of the rest of the flange proper intact. So, if that is your problem or if a greater percentage of your flange is intact this repair should work.

I used a stainless steel toilet repair flange which functions as an "overlay" on top of the original flange.  The repair flange is relatively thin and still allows the toilet to seat down against the floor when the two mounting bolts are snugged up. As the two toilet mounting bolts are now retained by the stainless steel flange is should be a "forever repari". I ordered two types of flanges to see which would fit/work the best: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00068YC6E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1  Harvey's Toilet Flange; and https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PS8U5E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Sioux Chief Mfg 886-MR Closet Ring, Stainless Steel. See the attached photos

The Harveys did not match the original flange screw holes as well as the Sioux, the Sioux will allow align with four or five of the original holes as I recall. See more on this below.

Required Modifications to the Souix replacement flange: As the Souix flange is manufactured the flange has a  "rolled" outer edge and a slight roll to the edge of the center hole. This prevents the Sioux flange from sitting down flat on the original flange. To make it work turn the Sioux flange upside down, place it on hard surface i.e. concrete floor, rigid workbench top and "flatten" out the rolled edges. I used a 3/8 inch diameter bolt to assist as a "punch" to get a nice flat surface.

Additional parts: Purchase stainless steel screws the same diameter and head type as the original flange mounting screws. I purchase screws that were slightly longer than the originals to accommodate the thickness of the repair flange and the insure that I got a full thread purchase.  I also purchased stainless steel toilet mounting screws and nuts. No rust frozen screws in the future!

To Install: check the orientation of the Sioux flange, noting the location of the toilet hold down bolt recesses, relative to the mounting screws on the original flange. Remove only the screws from the original flange that line up with the mounting holes in the Sioux flange. Clean and dry the original flange. Apply a silicone seal to the surface of the original flange (not sure this is necessary but I was not taking anything for granted). Orientate the Sioux flange to the align with the chosen mounting holes of the original flange and put the flange in place and install the screws. Alternate tightening the screws so they pull the flange down uniformly against the original flange.

OPTIONAL: As many new flanges only use four or five mounting screws I consider that sufficient. As an option one can check the location of the the Sioux mounting holes that do not line up with original flange holes and determine which could be drilled into the original flange and used as additional mounting points.

Reinstall the toilet on the new flange torquing the two mounting screws alternately to insure the toilet seats nicely against the floor. Put a bead of silicone seal where the toilet base contacts the bathroom floor pan.

Repair is better than new!

Note: while you have the toilet off make sure your ball valve seal, vacuum breaker valve etc are all in good working order. It is easier to work on them when the toilet is out. 

I hope this helps.

Randy
#5
General Q & A / Re: Toilet flange
October 23, 2017, 05:47:45 AM
Frisco:
I had to repair a broken toilet flange on our 2012 13QBB. On ours the flange tube is glued to the tube going into the black water tank. I came up with a good way to repair to the flange. Better than new. I will do a detailed writeup on how I did it and the parts required this evening when I have time and post it.

Randy
#6
New Members / Re: New from central PA
October 02, 2017, 10:13:37 AM
Hi Lee:
My wife and I have a 2012 13QBB and love it. Down sized from an Airstream Argosy that we had for many years. The 13QBB makes a great three season base camp for hiking, fishing, cycling, and hunting. We hope to give some winter camping trips a shot this year and do some cross-country ski weekends.

Our 13QBB was originally configured with the jackknife sofa. We found out real quick that you could not open the bathroom door very far when the sofa was in the bed configuration. Not good, so I have reconfigured our 13QBB into a dinette which we much prefer and we can still make it down into a bed of one of the grandkids is tagging along. Although we seldom eat in the trailer unless the weather is bad or very cold out the table gives added "counter top" space which is nice.

CampLite's seem to have a following here in the Northeast, Connecticut is home for us. Let us know if you have any questions we may be able to help you with.

Welcome aboard!
Best regards,
Randy
#7
General Q & A / Re: How to hitch the Andersen hitch
September 19, 2017, 02:51:04 PM
MarshHawk:
Having the back of the tow vehicle and trailer tongue raised to have enough slack to move the "triangle plate" left/right and up/down on the ball shank is a big part of the key to getting the pin aligned and into the holes. if a little slack is good more is better.  If the pin and holes are "dry" that makes things a little more difficult as well. I periodically lube the cross pin and holes with Boeshield T-9 or "White Lightning" bicycle chain dry wax lube, makes life easier.
#8
CampLite Travel Trailers / Re: Water pump
July 26, 2017, 04:56:41 PM
When facing the sofa the water pump is on the right hand side, behind the power converter. to get at it you have to remove the jackknife sofa from the base and then remove the 36 inch by 60 inch (nominal dimensions) aluminum sheet that covers the top of the base. Not a difficult job. Two people makes quick work of removing the sofa. You will find that there is water filter on the intake side of the pump. Unscrew the clear plastic filter cup and check the filter screen located inside the cup. If gunked up clean as necessary and clean/sanitize the fresh water tank. Depending on where the gunk originated from you may find you have to clean the tank, run the water, clean the filter screen a number of times before you get it all out of the system.  Good luck with your repair.
#9
rab0325: The windows are made by a division of Dometic. A call to Dometic should point you in the right direction. We have 2012 13QBB which we love. As originally purchased it came with the jackknife sofa. We soon learned that you can not open the bathroom door very far when the sofa is deployed. Given that at any one time we may have one grandkid with us we are just finishing converting the jackknife sofa layout to a dinette layout. It will still sleep one when set up as bed (36 inches wide) and the dinette just makes for more livable space for our purposes.

As well as vacation travel we use our 13QBB as our "base camp" for hunting, fishing and cross-country ski trips. We have been happily surprised on the ground clearance. The sewer discharge piping is tucked up fairly high to the frame and we have yet to "drag" bottom or tear of the sewer pipes. We are usually on unmaintained grid roads in Iowa, Montana, and Saskatchewan. So not having any problem we have never bothered with an "off road" lift kit which is what I think you will need if you go to an off road tire.

When shopping for a used Camplite look at the cargo door hatches for "bubbling", Challenger Door - Livin Lite's door vendor had an issue with the aluminum skin on some of the doors corroding (yes aluminum will corrode if subject to exposure to the correct atmosphere and dissimilar metallic substances).   Any other questions that we may help you with just ask.
#10
General Q & A / Re: How to hitch the Andersen hitch
July 26, 2017, 04:26:04 PM
Here is an alternative way that works well and eliminates having to loosen then reset your tension bushing nuts all the time. Part numbers are per the Anderson owners manual.

"Hooking and Un-Hooking the Anderson Hitch Assembly to the Tow Vehicle the Easy Way"
When hooking or unhooking the trailer it is Not Necessary to loosen /tighten the red tension bushing (part# 13) nuts (part# 15) once the hitch is set up for a particular trailer.   
Hooking the Trailer to the Tow Vehicle:
•   Check the number of threads showing past the tension nuts (part# 15) are same as your "basic" set up and equal on both side.  Record your "basic" thread setting here: _________________
•   With the trailer supported by the tongue jack, align the hitch ball on the Tow Vehicle with the trailer coupler;
•    Use the trailer tongue jack to lower the trailer coupler onto the hitch ball. Insure the trailer coupler fully engages the hitch ball and close the coupler ball latch.
•   Use the tongue jack to raise the trailer tongue and rear of the Tow Vehicle. If the coupler and hitch ball are fully engaged and the coupler latched, the trailer tongue and the rear of the Tow Vehicle will both rise. Raise the tongue until the "triangle plate" (part# 10), with the torsion chains (part# 12) attached, will slide easily onto the bottom of the ball shank. Install triangle plate retaining pin and clip pin (part#4).
•   Connect the safety chains in a "cross over" and connect the trailer break-away brake cable to the Tow Vehicle.
•   Lower the tongue jack until the weight is on the Tow Vehicle and Anderson Hitch System.
•   Secure the tongue jack and connect the trailer power cable to the Tow Vehicle.
•   Do a walk around, making sure the trailer lights all work and trailer stabilizer jacks and door step are all securely stowed. You are ready to go.
Unhooking the Trailer from the Tow Vehicle:
•   Apply Tow Vehicle Emergency Brake and block the trailer tires.
•   Disconnect the safety chains and trailer power cable.
•   Deploy the trailer tongue jack and raise the trailer tongue/rear of Tow Vehicle until the there is sufficient slack in the Torsion Chains (Part#¬¬ 12) to allow the triangle plate (Part #10) with the torsion chains attached to drop free of the ball shank when the triangle plate retaining pin (part# 4) is removed.
•   Remove the clip pin from the triangle plate retaining pin and remove the retaining pin from the bottom of the ball shank.
•   The triangle plate and torsion chain assembly should slide free of ball shank. A slight sideways twist may be required to aid the release of the plate from the shank.  It should never be necessary to pound on the plate to release it from the ball shank!
•   Stow the triangle plate and torsion chain assembly on or under the trailer tongue in a manner no one will trip on it.
•   Level the trailer, deploy the stabilizer jacks and door step. Connect the trailer to shore power if available. Enjoy!

#11
We have converted our 2012 Camplite 13QBB from the jackknife sofa layout to the dinette. If you require a sofa in excellent condition send a PM for details.
#12
General Q & A / Re: Leveling
July 12, 2017, 08:40:58 AM
We have a 13QBB and use the BAL leveler as well. Simple, effective, and easy to use. On the occasions when my wife is soloing with the grandkids she can easily level the trailer off if need be using the BAL.
#13
Gerry, I concur with your suggestion to have some Boeshield T9 in the trailer maintenance kit. Boeshield was developed by the Boeing Aircraft Corporation as a lubricant and corrosion protectant for aeronautical applications. I have used it for years maintaining firearms used in high humidity/salt water environments, fishing gear, and a prolifera of Land Rovers (aluminum bodies) over the years. Great stuff!

Also if you happen to have an Anderson Weight Distribution Anti-Sway hitch system you use to tow your Livin' Lite trailer with and if after the hitch has been exposed to couple of days of hard rain  it develops a really annoying screech when you are making a tight turn, remove the ball shank from the friction socket and but a few drops of T9 on the ball shank. It just so happened that I ended up talking with Ryan Anderson when I called Anderson customer service (pretty neat when the President of the company will pick up a customer service call!) about my previously "stealth silent" hitch becoming a "screaming banshee" and this was Ryan's suggested fix. He even offered to send me a bottle of T9 (no need as I buy it by the gallon which lasts me for years). Fixed the problem instantly with no ill affect on the Anderson hitch's sway control function. Best of all it has withstood numerous all-day torrential rains since then with out so much as squeak.     
#14
Hi Shonsu:
Since I originally wrote my post of April 07 I have had a considerable amount of out of country business travel and have not followed up on the blistered doors as of yet.
When I spoke to Livin' Lite customer service prior to writing that post they advised me to contact Challenger with the make/model and serial number of our trailer along with the dimensions of the door.

I would still like push this as being a "known issue" and see if Livin' Lite and or Challenger will step up to the plate and offer some type of warranty assistance. Would you be interested in going that route with me? I think the more people/trailers that are involved the better the odds are of them paying attention.  I am willing to coordinate the initial efforts but would require support materials from you e.g. detailed letter explaining the extent of your trailer's door problems, previous efforts to have it resolved if any, photos, etc. If you are interested drop me a private message and we can discuss this further.
#15
Mitch:
It sounds from the thread that you have a QS 6.0 with a dinette and want to convert it to a sofa, is that correct? We have a 2012 13QBB with the jackknife  sofa which we have taken out and are converting the trailer to the dinette. If this sofa would work for you we would sell it very reasonably, $50.00. It has all the mounting hardware, the factory original upholstery is in good condition but I would suggest it needs cleaning. Located in Connecticut.

Randy