'85 uHaul CT - New Campers

[spudfriend]

Ok so, I dont think we have a converter anywhere. I'm hoping to wire things so that we can optionally run a portable AC unit or small fridge from DC power.

[spudfriend]

Cindy, the local UHaul dealer is where we had the hitch installed on our towing vehicle, so I'll go back and check with them... thanks for the tip!

Originally Posted by CindyL

Uhaul still sells rims that fit unless they recently quit doing that. We bought ours from Uhaul. You just have to find a willing Uhaul dealer. Some of us have and then others have refused and told the would-be buyer that his trailer must be stolen, since Uhaul never sells off their trailers.
The new rims are a bit different though. We have a set of the original Uhaul wheel covers that we can't use with the new rims.

Good luck with your dealer.

CindyL

[spudfriend]

Sharon, that'd be great if you could check with them and see what their running price is... I don't even mind if you could pass along a phone number and I'll call. We've not done a first camping trip yet - though we thought we would right after we got the camper.. just to see what 'edges' needed to be smoothed out... but it turns out there were far more rough edges that needed smoothing out before our first trip out. Our first trip is now planned for the Labor Day weekend.. and we have two small children so working on the camper is not easy.

I will talk to the local Uhaul dealer and see what they've got. I had a local electrician come by and he said "nope, that's not a converter at all", so I don't know what it is.... perhaps it is a breaker like you've said.

No, no solar panel. I looked (and even went up on the roof to repair a small hole in the vent). I did (and still do) have 6 bolts tightened into the roof and accessible from the inside of the camper for a AC unit, but it did not come with the unit itself. There's even an electrical wire run up to that location on the roof, but it just 'ends'. It's not wired to anything - so more than likely it had to go to the AC unit that was there before we ever bought it.

Right.. running an extra "extension cable" for the AC. The electrician that gave me some pointers basically said that there were two independent systems in place... and that since he didn't see a converter, that we could run everything to the receptacle box just above the sink and then use the standard DC plug that comes in there to power the AC unit. I just have to run the cables to the AC unit's location and plug it in. I plan on working on that this morning. I might plug the AC unit in.. prior to running the wire just to test things out.

Originally Posted by Sharon W

Rims - Check with your Uhaul dealers - it seems some of them are more knowledgable and willing to help on these campers than others...I ended up talking to the manager and he said that the same size wheel fits some of their rental trailers. If you can't find them down in TN - the Uhaul in Asheville on Swannanoa River Rd. has them - (camping trip!!) I got a new rim and tire and think I paid under $100 about 3 years ago and it fits perfectly. I mounted it on the back bumper as a spare. If you'd like - I can check and make sure they still sell them and get current price here.

It seems that your converter has been replaced - doesn't look anything like my old one - so hopefully its wired and working correctly.

Looks like the original breaker/plug has been replaced with a regular one - not real sure how this will affect the electrical - if at all. I think that perhaps the replaced converter may have breaker/fuses on it...?

Another note - Our camper already had an air conditioner mounted on the roof when we purchased it, but it was not run through the campers regular electrical system. The prior owners had basically just pulled the wire and plug straight from the AC and run it between the double shell behind the cabinet, behind the stove and out through the same hole outside as the regular plug-in, and so we actually have 2 plugs to plug in (if we want regular power AND AC) I'm not sure that the camper electrical will carry a AC, but you can plug it in and see...you might blow a fuse on the converter...? Perhaps someone else on this forum that knows more about electric /wiring may be able to chime in here...

Does it still have the solar panel charger on top and wired in on the side of the battery case?

[spudfriend]

Mike thanks for the pointers..man a whole axle... yikes! I'll look over there. Here's the post slide show I put up a few days ago:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post264608

Originally Posted by h.mike

Hi: Spud: great looking camper. My electrical looks a lot worse, I'm sure you'l be OK. I think I saw a slideshow of your photos and got distracted. Can you direct me to them? thanks h.mike P.S. I have tried way too many Uhaul phone numbers and leads trying for a rim. I did'nt have any luck that way. ended up buying an entire axle with wheels. Keep your eyes open and look in the " for sale, trade or free' category on this forum. Mike

[Paul Chet]

Dave,

sorry i am late to the party ... but i saw your thread and photos and realized you are trying to ID whats on the battery box. not a converter - its your solar panel charge controller. they keep the solar panel from over-charging/ damaging the battery once its topped off. since the solar panel was removed for the AC unit, there is likely no need for the charge controller now. i know mine was not working when i bought my UHAUL and it would have been nice to replace it with a working original. it could be a valuable part for the UHAUL completists out there. if you arent using it, you might consider selling it to a fellow UHAULer (just make sure it works first! )

[spudfriend]

Paul, thanks for ID'ing it.. I had not idea.. and the electrician didn't either. I'm not a purist.. I don't have a problem parting with it... I don't know how to test it though.

Originally Posted by Paul Chet

Dave,

sorry i am late to the party ... but i saw your thread and photos and realized you are trying to ID whats on the battery box. not a converter - its your solar panel charge controller. they keep the solar panel from over-charging/ damaging the battery once its topped off. since the solar panel was removed for the AC unit, there is likely no need for the charge controller now. i know mine was not working when i bought my UHAUL and it would have been nice to replace it with a working original. it could be a valuable part for the UHAUL completists out there. if you arent using it, you might consider selling it to a fellow UHAULer (just make sure it works first! )

[Paul Chet]

no prob Dave,

i'm not sure but if i remember correctly (i sold my UHAUL last month), the BOSS charge controller has a few indicator lights. if you can at least hook it up to some kind of power source (maybe even a small battery with a couple of wires?) to see if the indicator lights light up - that will tell you something. we have a few electrical experts here who might also chime in ...

good luck - we are off in an hour with the 'Bac Pac' for some Big Sur camping!

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by spudfriend

I'm hoping to wire things so that we can optionally run a portable AC unit or small fridge from DC power.

That is possible with special equipment that is designed for 12 volt DC use.
Norcold DC Refrigerators
TurboKool Advanced RV Evaporative Air Coolers However I believe Tennessee is too humid for evaporative cooling to work. You'll probably need a regular Air Conditioner.

If you're thinking of using conventional household equipment with batteries and an inverter, their current draw will overwhelm your system and fail unless you cart around a massive multiple battery bank. Just to get substantial operational running time for the Refrigerator alone will require 2 large Deep Cycle Batteries, and preferably a solar recharging system in the 50 watt range.

My guess is that a 5000 BTU Air Conditioner will require at minimum a 2000 watt generator. I tried to run my 5000 BTU A/C on a 1000 watt generator but it wouldn't handle the load.

I had a Cool Chill 40qt. TE w/ 110 Converter in my first trailer and I tried to run it from a battery alone.
It fried a deep cycle marine battery within 6 hours.
From then on, I had to use it on 110 volts AC, or in the car but only with the engine (and alternator) running.

[Sharon W]

Spud - I tried several times Friday calling the Uhaul here - never could get a human body - when they get busy they just don't answer the phones - I WILL get hold of someone and find out price, etc. ASAP!! If you call Uhaul there: It has to be a main dealer that sells used vehicles, parts, etc. not just one of the "outlets" that just rents... I was told that the rim is the same size and bolt pattern as a couple of their small trailers. You may want to take a rim with you to make sure its the same.

It looks like someone pretty much gutted the electrical system - the 20 amp plug/breaker on the side of the overhead sink cabinet has been replaced with a regular AC box and plug. No converter, no solar panel.
It is not feasible to run an air conditioner off DC power. What I would do to get going as quickly as possible: Hardwire an extra wire from the existing outlet, behind the cabinet, down under the stove and install a GFI outlet under the side of the bottom bunk next to the ice box. Remove the icebox and replace with a fridge (ours was from Lowes - (Holiday) and was a near perfect fit. Had to put 2x4 blocking underneath the fridge...
If you REALLY want a air conditioner, get the smallest regular window air conditioner you can find and install it underneath the bottom bunk between the two storage compartments, cut a vent hole in the front, and either plug it into the GFI along with the fridge, or better, just put another longer cord on it, and run it back up and outside where the other plug goes out of the hold next to the water fill. Get an air conditioner with a thermostat and auto on and off - it gets freezing in about 1 minute and since ours is manual we have to turn it on and off... If you DID have an air conditoner on top, you could put another there, but again, get an automatic... This may have been where an exhaust fan was, not an air conditioner...Basically, we have the two cords hanging outside in the little access box. We use a short heavy duty drop cord with a Y - it is plugged into the campground plug, the air conditioner is plugged into one side of the Y and the main camper cord is plugged into the other side. Works great!. Unless you don't have power, then you don't have air or a fridge (we use a cooler).
If you want to try to re-do everything back essentially the way it was - its gonna take a while and possibly some help from someone who knows about converters, and AC/DC wiring...

There are wiring diagrams in the document center under Uhaul, and also on Uhaulcamper.com...
I'll try to get into mine and take some pics so you'll have more of an idea what you're dealing with if you choose to rehab it back like it was...

Be back in touch soon.

Originally Posted by spudfriend

Sharon, that'd be great if you could check with them and see what their running price is... I don't even mind if you could pass along a phone number and I'll call. We've not done a first camping trip yet - though we thought we would right after we got the camper.. just to see what 'edges' needed to be smoothed out... but it turns out there were far more rough edges that needed smoothing out before our first trip out. Our first trip is now planned for the Labor Day weekend.. and we have two small children so working on the camper is not easy.

I will talk to the local Uhaul dealer and see what they've got. I had a local electrician come by and he said "nope, that's not a converter at all", so I don't know what it is.... perhaps it is a breaker like you've said.

No, no solar panel. I looked (and even went up on the roof to repair a small hole in the vent). I did (and still do) have 6 bolts tightened into the roof and accessible from the inside of the camper for a AC unit, but it did not come with the unit itself. There's even an electrical wire run up to that location on the roof, but it just 'ends'. It's not wired to anything - so more than likely it had to go to the AC unit that was there before we ever bought it.

Right.. running an extra "extension cable" for the AC. The electrician that gave me some pointers basically said that there were two independent systems in place... and that since he didn't see a converter, that we could run everything to the receptacle box just above the sink and then use the standard DC plug that comes in there to power the AC unit. I just have to run the cables to the AC unit's location and plug it in. I plan on working on that this morning. I might plug the AC unit in.. prior to running the wire just to test things out.

[Pam Garlow]

The Uhauls did not come with AC units on top. They had evaporative cooling units (swamp coolers) up there, which work great for dry areas such as Arizona, but pretty much useless in areas with high humidity.

[Matt in SV]

Originally Posted by Pam Garlow

The Uhauls did not come with AC units on top. They had evaporative cooling units (swamp coolers) up there, which work great for dry areas such as Arizona, but pretty much useless in areas with high humidity.

The VTs had some variations but they were designed for roof mounted A/C. That's one purpose of the "privacy room;" to get a wing wall out under near the center to support it.

Mine still has the A/C operation stickers. Somebody retrofit it back to evaporative cooling for boondocking though. The AC line to the A/C runs up the closet liner, with the solar-panel charge line.

Regards,

Matt

[Sharon W]

Hi Spud: Well - here goes - on the rims - After about a hundred calls to the Uhaul in Asheville, I finally found out that this Uhaul shop no longer carrys the rims (I was probably the only one that ever bought one here), but a main Uhaul in KNOXVILLE (of all places) now carries them. I got a number for them at: 1-800-851-8614 - ask for Dennis in the Parts Department.

WARNING: GOOD LUCK getting hold of Dennis, that Uhaul store, or even a human body at any Uhaul for that matter. I have just spent the last 5 hours, every 4-5 minutes or so, calling and re-calling this number, and no one EVER answers - it just rings. I even tried calling the Uhaul here in Asheville again to see if they could transfer my call to the store in Knoxville (what they did initially), but I cannot get ANYONE at this store either now - it just rings. At 5:00 I FINALLY got a customer service representative to answer - she didn't even know what a rim was (I explained that it was a wheel that a tire goes on) and she said they have never sold wheels or tires for anything.......I informed her that yes, they did - I just bought a wheel and tire at the Asheville store a couple of years ago... she got very snippity, and tried to transfer me to the Asheville store... again.....where the phone rang, and rang, and rang....

... I now understand how and why other Uhaul Camper owners have had no luck whatsoever in getting these wheels - and how amazingly lucky I was to have acquired one when I did. I think there may possibly be ONE ?? employee for the whole company that knows anything about these campers or anything to do with parts for the vehicles (perhaps his name is Dennis)...I am quite astounded that these guys even stay in business if this is how they deal with the public.

Bottom line - "You're our only hope OB Wan". It seems the only place you may be able to purchase the rims now is in Knoxville, so perhaps if you can ever get anyone to pick up the phone, (or figure out which store belongs to this number and go there in person and talk to the reclusive "Dennis") you MAY possibly be able to find out IF they still have the rims, the price on the rims and you MIGHT even be able to purchase one of the rim (i.e. wheels). I leave it in your capable hands. We will all wait with baited breath and hope for a successful outcome!!! Please, keep us posted!!

As I already own an extra one of these precious little jewels, (not to mention how absolutely and completely frustrated with this company I now am), I do not think I will be pursuing this venture any longer...
Good Luck - (you're gonna need it!)
Sharon

[Donna D.]

I think every U-Haul owner should inundate the corporate offices of U-haul with e-mails explaining the problem, lack of customer service and HOW it's damaging their BRAND. This is simply a communication issue with their "owned" or "franchisees."

They can't fix what they don't know is broken....
U-Haul: About

AND, they need to add the fact they rented travel trailers to their history!
U-Haul: About: Our history

YMMV

[Matt in SV]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

...AND, they need to add the fact they rented travel trailers to their history!
U-Haul: About: Our history

YMMV

I am sure Uhaul Corporate would prefer that it had never happened, so I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it to hit the History page as a milestone achievement

Regards,

Matt

[Donna D.]

U-Haul should be PROUD! There are still trailers going down the highway and bringing pleasure to people after all these years. Few products (other than eggs) can claim that history.

Well, it was just an idea....

[h.mike]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

U-Haul should be PROUD! There are still trailers going down the highway and bringing pleasure to people after all these years. Few products (other than eggs) can claim that history.

Well, it was just an idea....

Donna: It is a great idea. I have just sent a e-mail to uhaul expressing my thoughts. And I did it politely too.

[CindyL]

I hope your email works. Rumor has it that the CEO has a picture of a CT on his wall to remind him of how much money they lost.


That being said, we are rolling advertising devices. They ought to appreciate it.
I have found it interesting that in the last few months, their online parts store features items identified as camper items though, so maybe they are.


CindyL

[Cyndivg11]

Originally Posted by spudfriend

So this is our first foray into owning a camper and would really like to get feedback on what others have done to 'tweak' their campers. We originally got it for 2k, and think that we probably paid a bit too much. It definitely needs some work. Here are some preliminary pictures.

You got your FGRV for a great price! One, they are nearly impossible to find on the East Coast- and two, it looks to be in great shape! You should have NO regrets on your purchase! Good Luck!

[Sharon W]

Well, Here is information that I know all you U-haulers have been waiting for: Please print this info and put in a safe place with your other camper documentation.

I FINALLY got hold of the Knoxville Uhaul dealer (Dennis) and here is the info on getting the rims and tires:

Call any main Uhaul (ones that sell used trucks and parts), or you can call the one in Knoxville (Ask for Dennis in Parts) 1-800-851-8614 or
(Local) 1-865-689-3731
To Order the Rim/Wheel, Part# 2351-6006 4.5 x 13 metric wht. (white) $68.75
To Order the Tire, Part# 105203339, 6.50 x 13 ST Carlisle Load Range C $78.00

You can also get the TIRE at any Goodyear dealer (should be cheaper, but it HAS to be the correct size and a Load Range C to handle the weight of the trailer.

YOU REALLY MUST HAVE THE PART NUMBERS OR THEY MAY NOT EVEN TRY TO HELP.

These wheels and tires are the same ones that work on the 4x8 Van Trailers that they currently rent out.

If your local Uhaul refuses to order, or say they don't do this: Call Dennis in Knoxville, and he will get you one ordered. IT MAY TAKE HIM A DAY OR TWO TO GET BACK AS HE IS VERY BUSY.

I spoke at length with Dennis about the Uhaul CT, VT's and other things. He was very nice and wanted to help. He has been with Uhaul for 41 years, and worked there when they rented out all these things. At one point, they actually had a Surfboard with a small motor and handheld remote control that you stood on and rode that they rented out, mostly at the beaches. They also rented out a 4-wheeler RTV, but because of the additional liability, these were discontinued. After the sons took over the business, they decided to get out of everything but the moving part.

I also think they may carry a few other parts that fit the Campers, but probably only things that also fit the 4x8 trailers, etc. I'm sure Dennis could help if they're available.

Donna - If you would please post this in the Document Center or wherever you think would be best, I'm sure it would be appreciated by the other owners. I would also like to formally thank Dennis in this post, as he has been the nicest person I've ever dealt with at Uhaul, and sincerely wants to help keep these little campers alive and well!!

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I think every U-Haul owner should inundate the corporate offices of U-haul with e-mails explaining the problem, lack of customer service and HOW it's damaging their BRAND. This is simply a communication issue with their "owned" or "franchisees."

They can't fix what they don't know is broken....
U-Haul: About

AND, they need to add the fact they rented travel trailers to their history!
U-Haul: About: Our history

YMMV

[Donna D.]

Sharon, I just scooped your post, created a PDF and added to the U-Haul Brand in the Document Center. The only change I made was to change rims to wheels. I hope you approve. THANKS for working to add this valuable information to the archives I know Uhaul owners appreciate it