Time has come to bring the Outback out of hibernation. We will hold a brief commissioning ceremony on Friday morning, when we hitch up the Tundra to the Outback for the first time. It will then be deemed the Official Tow Vehicle. Then for the Tow Vehicle Qualification Road-Trial we will then head out to Buckhorne CG, just north of Clifton Forge, VA to spend the weekend. Here is their website: Buckhorne CG
It is only about 50 miles, so it will be an easy trip. We tried to get into Douthat SP, which is only about another 2-3 miles up the road from Buckhorne, but they were already booked.
So y'all come on up and join us!
Bob
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#1
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Posted 14 April 2009 - 03:37 PM
#2
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#3
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Posted 14 April 2009 - 04:28 PM
Reverie, on Apr 14 2009, 05:13 PM, said:
I expect a new signature photo soon!
Reverie
Reverie
It is going to be hard to get one as good as that Lake Allatoona photo I have been using.
I've even considered "photo-shopping" the new Tundra into that picture.
Bob
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Posted 14 April 2009 - 05:14 PM
Have a good trip Bob and we expect a report when you get back.
Leon
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Posted 15 April 2009 - 09:58 AM
looks like a nice place bob.
have a safe trip.
hope its warm .
lamar
have a safe trip.
hope its warm .
lamar
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Posted 20 April 2009 - 07:26 AM
Well we have returned safely from our official Tow Vehicle Qualifications Road-trial. (A little Navy lingo there....kinda.)
The new Tundra towed flawlessly. Gone was a lot of the tail-wagging-the-dog effect we could feel with the 4Runner. 35 inches of additional wheelbase goes a long ways in providing more stability, and that 1000 extra pounds of TV weight doesn't hurt either. It was a good test run since the road over there and back involved a lot of uphill, downhill, turns, etc.
As for the campground, it was a bit of a disappointment, though. I would have to give very high marks for the owner and his family, and the well-equipped campground store. I think they were trying to do the best they could with what they had. But the campground itself was relatively small, and surrounded by houses, and seemed to cater to the long-term and full-time crowd. Also, the drinking water, which came from their well, had a lot of sulfur in it, which can be common around here. Even with our in-line charcoal filter, a lot of the odor got through.
But anyway, we made the best of the weekend, and the weather was near perfect....sunny both days with the temp around 80 degrees, and low humidity.
We did have a minor repair to perform after we got back home. Due to the stinky water, I decided to drain and rinse the hot water tank, so that it doesn't take on a permanent stink. I was just about done, when the hot water went "thunk" and stopped flowing. I knew immediately what it was, as it has happened before. The outlet check-valve on the hot water tank self-destructed. This is the second time for that same valve, and the same kind of failure. The spring apparently corrodes, and then finally breaks, falling back into the tank. When this happens, the valve plunger thingie jams into the valve body, and no water can flow. The fix is simple....just take the valve off the tank, pull the plunger out of the valve, discard it, and re-install the valve on the tank. Of course, it will no longer function as a check-valve, but the only reason it is there is to prevent anti-freeze from back-flowing into the tank when the bypass valve is engaged during winterization. Since I blow the lines, and don't use the pink stuff, the valve is really unnecessary. There is a check-valve on the inlet side of the tank also, but it has never failed. Don't know why.
Bob
The new Tundra towed flawlessly. Gone was a lot of the tail-wagging-the-dog effect we could feel with the 4Runner. 35 inches of additional wheelbase goes a long ways in providing more stability, and that 1000 extra pounds of TV weight doesn't hurt either. It was a good test run since the road over there and back involved a lot of uphill, downhill, turns, etc.
As for the campground, it was a bit of a disappointment, though. I would have to give very high marks for the owner and his family, and the well-equipped campground store. I think they were trying to do the best they could with what they had. But the campground itself was relatively small, and surrounded by houses, and seemed to cater to the long-term and full-time crowd. Also, the drinking water, which came from their well, had a lot of sulfur in it, which can be common around here. Even with our in-line charcoal filter, a lot of the odor got through.
But anyway, we made the best of the weekend, and the weather was near perfect....sunny both days with the temp around 80 degrees, and low humidity.
We did have a minor repair to perform after we got back home. Due to the stinky water, I decided to drain and rinse the hot water tank, so that it doesn't take on a permanent stink. I was just about done, when the hot water went "thunk" and stopped flowing. I knew immediately what it was, as it has happened before. The outlet check-valve on the hot water tank self-destructed. This is the second time for that same valve, and the same kind of failure. The spring apparently corrodes, and then finally breaks, falling back into the tank. When this happens, the valve plunger thingie jams into the valve body, and no water can flow. The fix is simple....just take the valve off the tank, pull the plunger out of the valve, discard it, and re-install the valve on the tank. Of course, it will no longer function as a check-valve, but the only reason it is there is to prevent anti-freeze from back-flowing into the tank when the bypass valve is engaged during winterization. Since I blow the lines, and don't use the pink stuff, the valve is really unnecessary. There is a check-valve on the inlet side of the tank also, but it has never failed. Don't know why.
Bob
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Posted 20 April 2009 - 08:35 AM
Bob,
If you have some time, can you elaborate on this? I am not sure what you are talking about but it sounds like something I need to know. You can add this to this thread or open a new thread elsewhere.
Thanks,
Reverie
If you have some time, can you elaborate on this? I am not sure what you are talking about but it sounds like something I need to know. You can add this to this thread or open a new thread elsewhere.
Thanks,
Reverie
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Posted 20 April 2009 - 07:42 PM
Bob, it sounds like you have found you a towing beast. Good to hear it towed to your satisfaction. Sorry to hear about the campground. I guess since you are in a new area, you are going to have to learn about all the local campgrounds all over again. But it might be fun doing that.
Leon
Leon
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Posted 21 April 2009 - 08:38 AM
Reverie, on Apr 20 2009, 09:35 AM, said:
Bob,
If you have some time, can you elaborate on this? I am not sure what you are talking about but it sounds like something I need to know. You can add this to this thread or open a new thread elsewhere.
Thanks,
Reverie
If you have some time, can you elaborate on this? I am not sure what you are talking about but it sounds like something I need to know. You can add this to this thread or open a new thread elsewhere.
Thanks,
Reverie
I started a thread in the Maintenance Forum all about water heater check valves, for your reading pleasure. Enjoy.
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