For all Intents and purposes

[YGoHom]

Welcome to the group, Twpinaz!

I think you’ll wonder why you didn’t get the rear track bar sooner.
Quite a few people have been insulating the dog house, so not to be left out, I’m gathering materials now. I like your idea of doing the floor too.

-Robb

[K9AEG]

Ok I have had it with the door Gas Strut. Went through two of them already. The "bar/shaft end" keep breaking when the winds take the door. And... doesn't take much winds... Any solutions?

[YGoHom]

I haven’t had an issue, but I’m interested in finding a heavier strut.

I moved the pivot on the door to allow it to open more than 90*, but still clears the awning arm.
But because it has gone past it’s perpendicular arc, it’s a little sloppy. I don’t know if that makes sense.

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by K9AEG

Ok I have had it with the door Gas Strut. Went through two of them already. The "bar/shaft end" keep breaking when the winds take the door. And... doesn't take much winds... Any solutions?

What about adding another one up top, and then adding a limiter to the door like a chain?

[charlescho]

What are 26m owners towing? Deciding between a used Wrangler TJ or JK (~3100lbs) or new-ish 2018-2020 Wrangler (4100lbs).

My concern is how the 26m will tow it in terms of comfort, power, and handling.

Any input from fellow dinghy towers would be appreciated.

[akeagle]

Originally Posted by K9AEG

Ok I have had it with the door Gas Strut. Went through two of them already. The "bar/shaft end" keep breaking when the winds take the door. And... doesn't take much winds... Any solutions?

I have a solution, but you probably won't like it: Keep a firm grip on the handle whenever you open the door, especially when its windy.

[YGoHom]

Originally Posted by charlescho

What are 26m owners towing? Deciding between a used Wrangler TJ or JK (~3100lbs) or new-ish 2018-2020 Wrangler (4100lbs).

My concern is how the 26m will tow it in terms of comfort, power, and handling.

Any input from fellow dinghy towers would be appreciated.

There are a few posts here discussing this, 117 & 126.
117 is about my Jeep 2dr JK being a nightmare. Major case of the tail wagging the dog. I have done more suspension work since I last towed it, so I can’t update. I can tell you that my little Saturn wagon is a breeze to tow.

I have many years of towing different vehicles and my favorite set-up is the Ready Brute Elite. So beefy and simple.

[charlescho]

Originally Posted by YGoHom

There are a few posts here discussing this, 117 & 126.
117 is about my Jeep 2dr JK being a nightmare. Major case of the tail wagging the dog. I have done more suspension work since I last towed it, so I can’t update. I can tell you that my little Saturn wagon is a breeze to tow.

I have many years of towing different vehicles and my favorite set-up is the Ready Brute Elite. So beefy and simple.

My quick googling says that the Saturn and JK Jeep are ~3100lb in curb weight. Do you think the Jeeps tows bad bc of the shorter wheel base? (Jk is 10” shorter than the saturn’s 106”)

The toad (whatever we end up getting) would serve double duty when my son gets his license early next year. I doubt he’ll want to drive a Saturn.

Also, I’d like to have a Jeep as well.

I find that searching for a flat towable vehicle in the 3,000lb range is pretty difficult. Especially when juggling factors such as flat-towable?, new/used, price/condition, and weight.

[YGoHom]

A JK 2door is 3900+ depending on options. I have a hard top, roof rack, heavy bumpers and small 31” tires. The Jeep has been aligned, but I think it’s the high profile compared to the Saturn. I didn’t have the rear track bar or add’l rear sway bar at the time. I’m sure (hoping) that they will help with the Jeep. I changed bumpers, and hitch on the Jeep, and haven’t made new adapters yet so I can’t try it out.

Power wise...the 26M has the same gearing as longer heavier 18k chassis. That puts us ahead of the curve with power. That basically shaved 2k lbs off your toad!

[K9AEG]

Originally Posted by Wyatt

What about adding another one up top, and then adding a limiter to the door like a chain?

Thanks for all the tips.

By shopping around I've found some all metal gas struts. I think I will try one of them. My breakage has been the the knuckle that grabs the ball. It's plastic. I've found one that has a metal knuckle.

Also, the mount that's installed on the door sill is too light. It bends with the door opening even without winds. The one I want to order seems beefier. Will see.

[Twpinaz]

My door cylinder also broke off at the ball. Was able to unscrew it and screw in replacement end (ball) that I bought at La Mesa RV store, when I went to pick up rv having warranty work done. The replacement end ball receiver seemed to grab the ball better. Want to say it was $2 to $3 for a bag of two. It has been working now for over 1 year. You can find them on amazon searching gas spring end fittings.

[K9AEG]

Originally Posted by Twpinaz

My door cylinder also broke off at the ball. Was able to unscrew it and screw in replacement end (ball) that I bought at La Mesa RV store, when I went to pick up rv having warranty work done. The replacement end ball receiver seemed to grab the ball better. Want to say it was $2 to $3 for a bag of two. It has been working now for over 1 year. You can find them on amazon searching gas spring end fittings.

Ok thanks. Must be weak link as RV dealer carries them. Thinking I'm still going to try the all metal one.

Also bought my Intent at La Mesa RV. The one in Mesa Arizona. Good folks.

[feiter]

I have gone thru 2 struts and have purchased replacement ends I have now used twice. We had some very high winds on each of our 3 long trips last year. I have thought about adding the chain at the top but havent pursued that much. Please let us know how successful the fix using the all metal strut and then share the item. Thanks for posting. BTW, was down to 12.51 battery power (time to recharge) and everything is working great...looks like Giant did fix my problem. What a relief

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by feiter

I have gone thru 2 struts and have purchased replacement ends I have now used twice. We had some very high winds on each of our 3 long trips last year. I have thought about adding the chain at the top but havent pursued that much. Please let us know how successful the fix using the all metal strut and then share the item. Thanks for posting. BTW, was down to 12.51 battery power (time to recharge) and everything is working great...looks like Giant did fix my problem. What a relief

So Bill, did they ever tell you what they fixed in your electrical system?

[K9AEG]

Originally Posted by feiter

I have gone thru 2 struts and have purchased replacement ends I have now used twice. We had some very high winds on each of our 3 long trips last year. I have thought about adding the chain at the top but havent pursued that much. Please let us know how successful the fix using the all metal strut and then share the item. Thanks for posting. BTW, was down to 12.51 battery power (time to recharge) and everything is working great...looks like Giant did fix my problem. What a relief

Yep Bill, will keep you all in tune on the metal ones. Will install them as soon as I get them.

Yes also would like to know what Giant did to fix the problem. Glad all's well on the charging electrical front.

[feiter]

NO...They say they checked the complete system and tightened fasteners and fittings including the chassis grounds and then discharged the system and were not able to duplicate any of the problems I had described...good news was I did not pay any additional over the $125 service investigation charge.

[YGoHom]

While crawling around under the rear corner/generator area scouting the land for an upcoming project, I found a problem that would no doubt leave me stumped later.
Both ends of the ground cable had never been tightened. Only the tension of the cable ends kept it and the nuts in place. WTF?
Reminded me of my first oil change where I found the filter body hose clamps loose, inches away from where they belonged.
That’s Ford AND Winnebago quality control!

[YGoHom]

Originally Posted by Wyatt

Today a ran an experiment to determine how much water I must add to the black tank, to just cover the bottom of the tank with water.
The 26m tank has a lot of uphill connections, and my theory was that simply flushing a few bowl of water to an empty tank wasn’t going to coat the bottom of the tank, and I was right.
The first few flushes merely serves to fill the water lines, not the bottom of the tank.
So armed with an endoscope, and a water meter, and a timer, i set out.
First, the endoscope went through the toilet bowl. And I captured that movie on my iPad.
Then, I turned on the water. And waited, and waited, to see how long it would take and how much water would be needed, just to cover the bottom of the tank.
No water was visible for 5 minutes, and 7 gallons later, I could see water just beginning to show up on the camera.
Now, I wasn’t perfectly level, so my guess is 5 gallons would probably do the trick. I plan on testing this out again, next time we’re camping.
But even at 5 gallons, that’s over 45# of water sloshing around.

I also use that meter to add exactly 5 gallons of fresh water for the road. Adding another ~45#’s to the rear end.

Hey Wyatt, did you ever check again on flat ground?

[YGoHom]

I had my 26m weighed again today.

The last weigh was April 2019:
Consisted of a full tank of gas and full fresh water tank,
Loaded as usual for camping, but the Bunk was removed and I had not added the rear track bar or additional rear sway bar. I also had only 2 propane bottles and hadn’t moved any weight from under the bed yet.
I believe I had the spare tire and bumper.
10,640 lbs on the rear axle.
4800 front
Total was 15,300

Today:
Full gas, near empty fresh, 1/4 black tank,
Bunk has been reinstalled
4 full propane bottles
350 lbs of steel added above transmission
New track bar and add’l rear sway bar
10,640 rear
5400 front
Total 16,220

I’m just posting because I thought it was an interesting comparison.
From purchased weight, to the addition of the rear bumper and spare tire, front and rear sway bars, rear track bar, front Sumos, 2 add’l propane tanks, steel over the trans...all of that stuff really adds up.

It’s night and day difference in ride quality, completely losing the white knuckle death grip on the steering wheel.
Front Sumos made a drastic improvement.

I’m still not done. My coach has always sagged in the rear, even with empty tanks. I’m thinking of putting on 18k rear leaf springs. That’ll fix the sag and increase the rear capacity for a more evenly matched weight bias.

We’ll see.

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by YGoHom

Hey Wyatt, did you ever check again on flat ground?

Great question. Not yet. Last place we stayed was at a spot that had no sewer connections, but they pumped out the gray tank everyday.

I had no opportunity to do the test there. With a slight rearward slope, it takes ~ 7 gallons— I’m guesstimating five on level ground?

I promise to let everyone know when that happens. Thanks for the reminder...