Thom and Cari's Parkliner

[Lynn Musgrave]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

When I get ready to load my cupboards, I'll just ask Francesca to come over and hold the doors open for me. Problem solved! (although that solution might lead to other problems, like trying to explain to my wife...)

It shouldn't be to much of a problem....remember Francesca "might not " be real....after all she "has Never been sighted". Sooooo if you can't see her maybe the wife couldn't ether .Of course you might have to explain your way out of how you got the doors to stay open for you????

Although I do suspect that Francesca is Real...I mean after all someone using that name does have some very nice & helpful post....of course well you just never know for sure ...untill someone is sighted

[David B.]

Another simple prop is to use a spring mounted to the door and to the cabinet, all you do is open the door and the spring becomes a straight prop like the dowels, but when you want to shut the door, you just give the spring a little tap in the middle to bend/flex it and the weight of the door shuts it as the spring is now a "U" shape.

[accrete]

Originally Posted by David B.

Another simple prop is to use a spring mounted to the door and to the cabinet...

THX David, i did see a post on that and even saved the images to my PC. When i visited HD to look for parts i priced things out and the springs we had available that i thought would be properly sized ended up being ~$3 each x 10 upper cabinets, plus epoxy to glue wood blocks to inside of fiberglass cabinetry/frame, plus wood put the project at around $40ish...so i stuck with the dowel idea. . . at ~$6ish.

[accrete]

Many thanks to Brian (PL#034) for doing the research on replacement LED bulbs for the interior lights in our Parkliners. Here are some images and captions. I really like the light of the LEDs, easy on the eyes for reading.

You will need six of these bulbs from dyersonline.com it took ~5 days from order to receiving them:



Here is what you will receive (All packs contain both dual pin and bayonet style adapters. The only bayonet style bulb is the one on the ceiling) :



Here is a comparison of bulbs outside of housing:



Here is a comparison of bulbs in use:



Cheers!
Thom

[Tim Wood]

Brian, Nice job on your cabinets also, the camper looks great.

[Brian M. in NY]

The great thing about this forum is the way people work together to find easier/better solutions for all of us. Thom has given me some great ideas, like the cabinet props. I'm just glad I was able to return the favor. I found a source for these lights when retrofitting our teardrop and really like the whiter color. If you and Rita had not been so hospitable, we would not have a ParkLiner sitting in our driveway now. Which I will start prepping (draining anti-freeze) tomorrow for the spring "Icebreaker" on Lake Ontario this coming weekend. It is so great to know that there is a history of of experience going back for decades on fiberglass RVs. If you need an answer to a question, someone has probably had the same problem and has a solution. What a great resource!

[Brian M. in NY]

Originally Posted by accrete

Many thanks to Brian (PL#034) for doing the research on replacement LED bulbs for the interior lights in our Parkliners. Here are some images and captions. I really like the light of the LEDs, easy on the eyes for reading.

Thom, (PL#35)
Glad these worked out for you. We prefer the whiter color and were pleased with these when we retrofitted our teardrop. Should extend battery life considerably! We got the bulb and amber lens for the porch light, which I described to you previously. The lens was an exact replacement for the OEM clear lens and we are well pleased.

Have a great time at the NOG if anyone lets you have any spare time between tours. We are headed to Lake Ontario this weekend for a "Spring Icebreaker" and are looking forward to being on the road! Thanks for all the great photos. We hope to take a lot at the "Icebreaker" and will put them up next week.

[accrete]

So today's project actually began last nite...

I filled the fresh tank with water and turned on the water pump, turned the kitchen faucet on and watched...as the sink filled up with water! Then, very slowly, over the next ~20 minutes i watched the water level go down until the sink was cleared of water. I knew something must be up. I remembered there was talk of a new style of P-Trap in the sink and i wondered if something was out of adjustment. Also knowing that the cooler would benefit from some more insulation i went ahead and removed the cooler. Here is a picture of the stock placement of the "HepvO" waterless P-Trap:



And while i was poking around i noticed that there was no cooler-frame-screw support wood on the right side of cooler like there was on the left side...so i epoxied some wood for support just in case.



So after some measurements and research on the HepvO and realizing that the flow rate could be improved typically by simply installing the HepvO from the stock horizontal position to an approved vertical placement i went to the plumbing store and picked up the appropriate parts (less than $11.00)...here is how it looks before placing cooler back in:



And here is a close up. It rests nicely on top of bubble foil insulation on top of cooler:



Last for this project is a close up of the grey tank inlet. As noted in image text i re-routed the flex tube and made it as efficient a path as possible:



That's it! Easy mod with really nice benefits. And the HepvO really works. It truly is a one way valve. No way smells or fluid is coming up that thing into sink/cabin!

Happy trails,
thom

[accrete]

A post script on the above info on the kitchen sink mod...
Chandler did a great job researching how to work in so much into such a confined area (though it sure feels like the fourth dimension sitting inside!). There is only so much room inside cabinetry...and the typical RV P-Trap would not have worked in this design. So Chandler spent significantly more time/money putting in the HepvO trap to solve the space/ptrap issue.

I'm grateful for Chandlers creativity! I've spent nearly every afternoon inside #35 since it arrived. I LOVE just chilling out in it. Since i get WiFi from my Mobile Suite internet setup i just bring the netbook out, setup at the side dinette and enjoy the surroundings.

Cari & I are 100% happy with our choice to go with Parkliner. Never think that my tweaking here and there reflect negatively the rig...all of us have our little OCD moments and ideas...Thank goodness manufacturers don't have them !

Cheers,
Thom

[accrete]

So i posted a side view of our van and trailer a page or two back:



You will notice that there is ~35 feet of gleeming white...that is how we like our rigs. The first thing off after driving home from any showroom is the brand-badging on the sides...only rear remain on tow vehicles or trailers. That's just the way we roll. It would not matter if the brand was Lamborghini...if there was a logo on the side it would come off. OCD LOL. De-badging on the side is NO reflection on Pride-Of-Ownership or lack thereof (which is definitely not the case with us...we are happy and proud owners of our two rigs and it shows in how we keep them up!)

So off came the side logos on the ParkLiner!

and then i added 3" silver numbers to proudly display our build number on the rear logo area:



On a silly note...I'm pleased with the stock white steel rims being a mini-version of the aftermarket rims we put on the van. I will be painting the PL wheels black and masking off the inner race of each rounded triangle and leaving that edge white...from afar we believe the two sets will closely match

Happy Trails,
Thom

[Francesca Knowles]

I should probably warn you that those of us with X-ray vision can see that Oregon plate number, Thom...

Francesca

[accrete]

LOL! Ya think?

i first started visiting vehicle related forums sometime around 2003?? I noticed that nearly every image that included a plate had it smudged out or hidden in some way...I suppose someone could do something with a plate online like research location/address...who knows. Anyway i've just always tried to make a habbit of doing the same.

I think i ordered a set of those xRay glasses when i was a kid. I was truly saddened to say that they did not work in the school yard

[Francesca Knowles]

You must have gone to Catholic School where the girls were forbidden to wear patent leather shoes 'cause "the boys can see undies reflected in them". Naturally, the boys all sent away for X-ray vision glasses instead.

Public school boys labored under no such onerous regulations...

Francesca

[accrete]

HaHa!
Where was i when those shiny shoes were around. Funny.

Public school for me, but i missed alot of Saturday morning cartoons because of catechism school! I do recall getting sent to some nun's office after dipping a girls hair in the ink well The super power i apparently needed was common sense.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by accrete

HaHa!
Where was i when those shiny shoes were around. Funny.

Since patent leather's still around, could it be that you were looking, shall we say "elsewhere" on the girls?

A prediction:
From this moment forward, you will not be able to stop yourself from looking at the feet of every woman you meet.
Better don a helmet for all the "upside yo' head" whacks you'll be getting from Cari!

...
Francesca
Sometimes I think I'm Evil Incarnate...other times I know for sure!

[emers382]

Thom or anyone else with a Parkliner

I'm new to FG RV Forums, we're looking and leaning toward an Escape but I just found out more about the Parkliner and I am intrigued. We're going to be visiting in Hope Mills NC next week, is it worth making a 2 hour trip up to Gibsonville to visit Parkliner? Who should I talk to there before heading up?

Adrian

[deryk]

Chandler is the owner, Cameron is the office guy now. I love my ParkLiner. Its my first caravan and I'm real happy I bought it. Second trip this coming weekend. Can't wait!

[emers382]

Thanks Deryk

Think we'll make the trip then. We used to camp with a 13ft Gypsy - with five of us, so 15ft will seem roomy for only the two of us!

Any problems towing with a RAV4, we are going to have to get another vehicle once we buy a trailer.

Since you said "caravan" are you a Brit? I was but came to Canada 60 years ago in June at age 3.

Adrian

[deryk]

The ParkLiner is a solid built fiberglass trailer...with the bunkbed option sleeps 4...and once the kids get big enough....happy birthday..here's a tent lol


I'm part British, but was born and raised here...caravan is really the appropriate word for them.. and I'm just odd that way. The rRav4 is ok but has a soft rear end I would go with something more solid and heavier built... works for me but I'm alone.

[accrete]

Greetings Adrian and welcome to the forums.

The Escape is a very nice trailer. High quality and nice looking.
For Cari and i, since nearly every trip sees rain no matter the season (we have two here in the Pacific Northwest... Rain, and Not So Much Rain
we had to look at a trailer that we could open up for ventilation rain or shine with jalousie (hinge from top) style windows. With Escape's standard slider fair-weather-windows we looked at other designs (they may have an option, but it was never mentioned as a positive in any of the correspondence).

Aesthetically we also did not want any primary furnishings/cupboards/walls made with wood or vinyl wrap. This ruled out such brands as the Escape. We had already decided to go fiberglass outer shell over bonded or aluminum skins...so we also began to narrow our search to those manufacturers that were utilizing primarily fiberglass interiors...such as the Casita, Scamp, TrilliumRV & Parkliner.

You can also contact Chandler or Cameron directly through their emails at _InsertTheirNameHere_ At Parkliner DotCom Cameron is easily reached and that is actually where i would begin contact...Chandler is mighty busy building trailers! But reachable...he returned a call last night from somewhere in the hills of NC after transporting a rig.

Best wishes on your hunt for a trailer.
Thom