4 Curious Georges' 2001 Saf-T-Liner

[david.dgeorge07]

Originally Posted by Rusty

Well, on the positive side- it's already wrecked.

Hadn't thought of it that way! You make a good point!


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[david.dgeorge07]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

main thing is whether the shop you go to has the tools for R410A.. a car shop will be used to working on R134a. and mayhe 1234y stuff (newest).. do RV roof top A/C's use 410A? the ones I worked on were 134a (standard dometic).. but maybe some are 410A where a shop would have the tools? R410A is an HFC but runs at MUCH higher pressures than R134a. your regular gauges and hoses for 134a are not fit for 410A pressures. to charge most mini split A/C, you also need a hose adapter for the suction side..

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D96EWKQ...a-314874627532

-Christopher

The school I teach at has a couple of HVAC techs on staff. Maybe I should see if one wants to moonlight for me.


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[PNW_Steve]

Christopher,

Do you know if the Harbor Freight gauge set is suitable for R410A?

Thanks

[david.dgeorge07]

Well that was a terrifying experience but I made it home safe with my trailer.

12 hours from Orlando to Chattanooga. I will post more later.


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[Rusty]

Originally Posted by david.dgeorge07

Well that was a terrifying experience but I made it home safe with my trailer.

Glad to hear you made it with your goodies. Not a very big tow vehicle for that wounded trailer.

What was terrifying in particular?

[EastCoastCB]

Congrats on the successful trip.
Holler next time you're in the o-town area!

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

Christopher,

Do you know if the Harbor Freight gauge set is suitable for R410A?

Thanks

the standard HF set is not designed for R410A,

this set similarly priced, does have the 800PSI working pressure hoses and is 410A compatible.

https://www.amazon.com/Raomdityat-Di...auge+set+r410a

-Christopher

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

the standard HF set is not designed for R410A,

this set similarly priced, does have the 800PSI working pressure hoses and is 410A compatible.

https://www.amazon.com/Raomdityat-Di...auge+set+r410a

-Christopher

Thank you!!

You just saved me from buying the wrong gauges.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

Thank you!!

You just saved me from buying the wrong gauges.

wrong gauges are bad since 410A has MUCH HIGHER working pressure.. the hoses are of utmost importance..

spraying liquid refrigerant is no laughing matter..

I was working on a 120 ton air-cooled condensor years ago.. there were 3 circuits and each circuit held 120 lbs of R-22.. I always wore a high collar jacket thick gloves and a full face safety shield.. none of the other guys did.. had a solenoid valve explode on a 1 inch liquid line... liquid R22 sparying everywhere... you couldnt just stand up inside the unit as there were 2 fans 8 ft diameter connected to 30 Horse motors whirling at 1200 RPM.. I got outta there as quick as I could.. within seconds.. but I still had at least 1/16" of ice on my shield.. my jacket got so cold the material shattered as i moved my arms.. granted it was VERY humid morning so ice formed easily on anything cold.. fortunately no one was hurt.. all i can say is there was a parade of Frigidaire vans that lunch hour going into the HVAC supply house buying safety gear...

treat working with refrigerant respectfully...

even something as simple as unscrewing a gauge fitting can frostbite your hands.. I wear gloves and depressurize my high side back to the low before removing my gauges to help with loss and unwanted venting.

-Christopher

[david.dgeorge07]

Originally Posted by Rusty

Glad to hear you made it with your goodies. Not a very big tow vehicle for that wounded trailer.



What was terrifying in particular?

I will post more pictures later but the axle was bent so the camber was way out on one side and that side of the trailer was low, leaning, and bulged out. I had to remove the tire and sawzall out the wheel well just to get the tire to spin. That was before they kicked me off of the yard.

I drove to Northern Tool which was nearby and was able to secure everything, get the magnetic lights working, get the brakes working, and connect my weight distribution system. Ironically it actually towed nicely, it was just nerve wracking.

I stopped about every 50 miles to check that tire for heat and wear, but it was fine every time. It is the kind of load that feels uncomfortable to tow for 5 miles just from looking at it, but I did it for 12 hours. Even though it went without incident, I wouldn't do it again.


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[david.dgeorge07]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Congrats on the successful trip.
Holler next time you're in the o-town area!

Thanks! Will do!


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[BlackJohn]

Great job getting that home safely. Now you have what you need to build the bus. That was a long trip under the conditions so pleased to hear it went well.

John

[david.dgeorge07]

So this is currently an unlisted video. Not really ready to go live to the public before I get a few more ducks in a row, but figured some folks here might enjoy and get something from it.

It's an unboxing and physical overview of the AIMS 2500 Watt inverter/charger with remote control that I recently took delivery of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSBi...ature=youtu.be

Let me know what you think! Next up is the Champion generator that I just received.

[M1031A1]

I got a larger one of those AIMS inverters as well....

Let me know how it goes. I'll be working with it this spring.

M

[david.dgeorge07]

Most of the goodies removed! This has been an interesting lesson in how flimsy travel trailers are and also I've learned how some of the systems are thoughtfully designed. The framing is extremely light weight though and can't sustain much structural abuse.


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[Tango]

There's a reason we refer to them as "sticks & staples".

[david.dgeorge07]

Originally Posted by Tango

There's a reason we refer to them as "sticks & staples".

For some reason I always thought those terms were exaggerations, but they aren't! 1/8" luan, 2x2s, and staples are what it is made of! Some parts are literally cardboard!. The awesome aluminum diamond plate on the front is plastic! The quality of the wiring is good though. Heavy gauge stranded copper everywhere, and the individual appliances seem well made and well installed.

[Tango]

Hang onto all that wire! At todays' prices, it is gold.

[BlackJohn]

You sure have a lot of good reuseable parts and wire. When built they try to keep the weight down so vehicles can tow them more easily. You'll find uses for lots of that material, again good buy.

John

[david.dgeorge07]

I have an on demand water heater that I purchased before scoring the wreck. It has about a 5 gallon water heater. Do you have opinions on which is better? The conventional one is vented so that means cutting a hole in the bus. The other is ventless. Both run on LP/propane.


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