How’s it going, came across your videos and Ive been watching your build, I’m looking forward to getting some land in costilla county by San Luis Colorado, do you need any permits to start building at all? Thanks for the vids
Yes, permits are required. The Costilla County Web site has a link called "Residential Development Procedures" that covers this: costillacounty.colorado.gov/departments/planning-zoning
Do you know if you can reverse them? I need to raise a beam and do some work, then lower it, move the jacks them raise it again. Surely there's got to be a way to reverse/lower these if there's an issue.
So how well does epoxy/glass bond to these foams. I have bonded glass to the pink Owens Corning pink foam. It works but it doesn't take much to grab a corner and peal it right off.
Great question. "Badly". With closed-cell foams like XPS (Owens-Corning pink) it has nothing to grab onto. Coarse sandpaper can be your friend here although it'll never be as strong as other forms. With open-cell foams it grips very well, BUT you get a lot of extra epoxy in the pores as a result, which adds a lot of weight. The usual answer here is to apply a layer of "micro" (epoxy mixed with microballoons) first, then do the layup over that.
It's looking great Chad. Sorry to hear about your elbow. Hopefully a few weeks off helps. I was wondering if you are adding any bracing to the piers/posts to provide lateral support?
@@seelafever I definitely am, and already have both the materials and hardware, but I've been lazy about installing it. It's one of those drudge tasks that has to get done but isn't super rewarding. I plan to take care of it this year though to add additional wind resistance to the foundation before winter.
@@chadrobinson3504 Sounds like a plan. Is there a way to private message? My wife and I have been looking at land in the area and wanted to talk a bit more but not necessarily on youtube comments. I guess I can put my email on here then delete it. If you are interested in emailing let me know. If not for privacy reason's I totally understand. Thanks!
Was considering this model (cheapest I can find it today is $59k), but with the limited storage, lack of living space and lack of toilet space and overall cheapness, I'm gonna pass.
I'm in Aurora. We retrofitted a heat pump last year and I would suggest that you could get that to work as a primary heat source, with propane as a backup.
We considered it and might, still. But bear in mind you have utility-supplied power. We're going to be on solar. Heat pumps are efficient enough to do that now but you need a much bigger solar install, and it would take a lot longer to hit an ROI. We'll most likely do that a few years from now.
Hi. Look into digital switches. You basically configure switches that are wifi and then you define what they control. Then connect actual lights etc into in-wall wifi switches. Then you can easily create "all off" switches by the entrance door.
We just bought a 2022, used unit. Water is draining out of a little plastic 90° that comes through the side of the frame. About where the steps are fit the main entrance door. There is also another one on the "driver" side of the rv that comes through the frame the same way. I can not find anything online that states what these are for. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Those are your fresh-water tank overflow drains. You have your tank filled too full. This is very common even if you are "nearly full" and parked not totally level. Note that tank level meters are notoriously inaccurate. While filling at a constant rate, ours will show empty for 5 mins, skip 1/3, show 2/3 for a minute and then show full for a long while until it really is. You can't assume that just because it's not showing full that it isn't, and vice versa.
So this comment has to do with one of your videos from roughly 9 yrs ago. You video about glassing foam. Do you know if you can PMF or fiberglass neoprene sponge mat foam?
@@derekschwab7129 I mean, you can fiberglass over sand if you don't disturb it too much. But the whole purpose of foam is a. to be shapeable, and b. to add crush resistance if there's a pressure point on the skin of the fiberglass. I don't think a soft foam like neoprene provides either of these. So you probably COULD but why would you want to?
It's an interesting question but in the end, lots of things on a job site can kill you if you handle them wrong. Don't forget your physics - a crane that can "lift" an 800lb wall from the ground would have to be quite large and well braced because you'd be talking about a 20-30ft lever. The proper answer to do the same task from that direction is called a "telehandler" and they're used quite often for this. But they also cost $450 per DAY to rent. Compared to $200 to buy a pair of wall-jacks outright, the wall jacks definitely have a lot going for them. Cheap lifting options like chain hosts or winches are out because they need to be attached to something, and that "something" doesn't exist yet - that's what building these walls is doing in the first place. But they're great for other tasks. Stay tuned and in an upcoming episode you'll see me raise the ridge beam using one!
Why don’t manufacturers drill a hole thru outer flange where motor screw is?? It could be covered with plastic snap in cap. Nope that would make this job too easy.
Looking good. You'll learn from those mistakes by being observant and understanding the cause. I think your house layout and more simple roof is a good choice. I would love to have a spot like yours but the details of what I can build where and permitting leave me a little befuddled. I'm not worried about the building aspect so much. Seems like you figured all those things out.
Thanks! I expect to make plenty more mistakes but the learning is half the reason I'm doing this in the first place - it's always been my dream to know how to do this, so this is my excuse. We're lucky to be building an area with minimal requirements. They're not zero - our septic was professionally installed and is permitted, for example, and we need inspections for electrical and plumbing. But it's definitely more relaxed than in other areas...
I’m interested if you still have your Milestone and still like it? It would be nice to see a new video with all the upgrades you did to it to make it work even better for your family. Thanks for your videos.
We do! Despite its (many) flaws it still fit our family's needs and budget better than anything else. I have a number of repairs to do - the bathroom sink just fell out - but we'll post a follow up once I sort all that out.
Thank you for the review. We are first timers and I've done a lot of homework and shortlisted 5 with this one being the most desired, thank you for ensuring that we won't buy this unit. It was quite funny when you got to the fridge and spoke positively for like 60 seconds. If you wrote a review in text and not recorded a video, I would have thought that you made up everything you said. I can't believe the rusted chassis. I'm from South Africa and we don't have this kind of rubbish workmanship, everything works and if it's in a condition like the above, we are allowed to return it for a full refund, within a 6 month period. I've done so with a travel trailer that leaked within 2 days.
We have the same rule here, but this floor plan is somewhat rare (especially when we bought it). We had to drive 2,000 miles to pick it up so there was no way to go back once we had it. Actually, a lot more has gone wrong since that video - the rear bunk room sliding door fell off, the back bathroom sink bowl detached from its mount, etc. I agree that the quality of this particular product is very low but we're still glad we have it because the layout is a perfect fit for us. YMMV!
@@chadrobinson3504 Thank you for the feedback. So we have 2 left on our shortlist and they both have very nice layouts. We have 3 children, 5, 4 & 3 years old, so the bunks and play area space in their room is critical for us. We literally looked at every single brand/model/layout fifth wheels in the USA and although there were 9 options that could work, the top 2 that are left are: Forest River Salem Hemisphere/Wildwood Heritage 356QB and the Coachmen Chaparral 367BH We will be living in this permanently, so the double room and double full bathroom was critical.
FYI, the storage bay that you show as "generator prepped" is a normal setup for the placement of the generator it does not make this "generator prepped". When the manufacturer adds the transfer switch and other appropriate wiring including a start button in the panel inside the RV, WITHOUT installing the actual generator, then it is generator prepped. Thanks for the video. Will you be attending the National Rally in June?
Chad...Great video, good explanation of the foam densities. I want to build a custom one-off rear spoiler for my car and I was thinking that I might build skeleton type frame kind of like a spine across the trunk, which has a shallow curve side to side. Was thinking the triangular spine segments could be MDF, wood, or maybe one of your foam types? Once I had a multi-segment frame, I thought I'd "skin" it in a thin foam and then fiberglass it, almost like a surfboard. Which of the foam samples you show here would be good for curves and maybe even a compound curve? Thanks in advance for the advice.-Mike
I put a stove jack in it a few years ago and that worked great for cold weather but you need a big stove because it's a very large air space. For durability I'd say it should be good at least 5 years of typical use but can't confirm. I moved on last year when my needs changed.
I loved the "ah-ha" moment where it was discovered that seat removal was not necessary. I think I figured it out about 10 seconds before you verbalized it (but you already knew). What year is your car? Mine is a 2017. Hope it works out for me.
Yes! It worked "ok" with a small stove. I hung some fiberglass cloth behind the stove as a heat insulator to prevent the tent from melting. It helps if you have a stove with an angled chimney or a very long one. This Tipi is very tall and I was worried about sparks getting onto the top of it, even with a spark arrestor on the stove. An angled chimney would help a lot.
awesome ,i am making a waterbike and intend making foam shaped floats /tubes what is best foam to use ,,and is best to use epoxy or polyester resin, ,any advice on sealing please ,thank you for video
The resin type is a personal choice but they are not compatible so once you pick a system, stay with it. I prefer epoxy because there are many options available with different price points and features, and they are (mostly) all compatible with one another. (Also I have a lot left over from previous projects.) I would suggest blue styrofoam as is used for dock floats. It's closed-cell so it won't get waterlogged if there's a pinhole leak and is designed for buoyancy. It's often available cheap if you live near a lake and watch Craigslist or talk to your boat launch operators because it often gets thrown out/replaced as docks are maintained. It's also easy to cut with a hot wire.
@@chadrobinson3504 Thank you for the info, what foam do you recommend ,was thinking of XPS? then sheathing it with boat cloth and Epoxy, then painting with a flexible painted epoxy system that reflects the sun ,what do you think?
Hey! This was super informative! We just bought ours, and I was curious if you had any ideas for better airflow? We have our windows open, it's a breezy day, and it's feeling like a hotbox. 🥵 Compared to other cone style tents, we do enjoy the ventilation in the bottom of the tent, I can't even imagine up at the top! Thanks Chad!
It's a fair point. We mainly used ours during cooler weather so heating was a bigger deal than cooling. Other than opening every vent I'm not sure what you can do, but shade is key. Even partial shade from a thin tree can make a big difference.
Hey Chad, Appreciated this video, Thanks Can you give a update on how the fix worked out? My daughter has the same issue with her Mini. We are gathering info for a fix now.
It worked out fairly well. My one regret is I should have gotten some black strapping to use as the new pull. You can get it from Amazon, local fabric stores, or salvage it from an old backpack or similar. I think it would have looked a bit nicer in the end. But it worked fine.
What do you use to prevent the fiberglass resin heat, and etc. From dissolving and destroying the foam, I'm not an expert but curious why it's not mentioned, since every piece you have in this video would be destroyed without some sort of barrier protection like latex paint, or etc.!!!
it takes a lot more heat than that to melt foam. So typically it's not a problem. You never want your epoxy "cooking off" (overheating) and once it's spread out it never builds up enough heat to be an issue. Latex paint would not protect from this anyway, and would drastically reduce the adhesion.
Hi Chad. I know this is a very late comment on one of your older videos, but I hope you can still answer it. I really appreciate your thorough review! Do you still use your Cabelas Fury pack and how has it held up? Also, I'm wondering what the dimensions of the inside of the main compartment are? I'm trying to determine if a Foxpro X1 e-call will fit in it. Thanks!!
I still have the pack but haven't used it much lately because I've been focused on big game rather than turkey. It's held up well but I do have a new complaint, I've discovered that the soft felt lining you see in several spots on the pack picks up burrs and other "field debris" and really holds onto that stuff, it can be hard to clean. The inside compartment is about 12x20x5 depending on how you measure it - it's flexible. I don't know the dimensions on the Foxpro but the compartment is pretty big... Overall it's still a very flexible pack and I still like the removeable rear pouch that becomes a mini-pack on its own.
I would probably be using that for at least a part of it, especially compound curves. You'll probably find that some type of rigid styrofoam is better for large structural pieces like the sides and roof. You can absolutely combine foam types, using contact adhesive, epoxy, or any other similar glue between different types. Just be careful to remember that most urethanes should not be cut with heat. With styrofoam it's common to use hot wires to cut a long templates to make shapes. But you would never want to do that with a urethane, because most release toxic gases when cut that way. Urethane's need to be sanded, cut with a knife, or other means to shape them.
Hey chad! Do you have any updates with any of the modifications you wanted to do? Like lowering the dinning room table or adding the trashcan and Shoe storage?
I've been distracted this winter restoring an old Ford pickup. The camper is in storage right now, and it's a little tricky to work on because they don't always clear the snow very well. But I'll definitely get back to it as the weather warms up. Stay tuned!
Thank you for making this video! We actually purchased the same camper sight unseen. Only online pictures. It’s about an 8 hour drive to pick it up. I know Exactly what to look for now when we do the final walk through. thank you!
In the past few years RV's have become especially "full of issues" because RV sales increased >33% in the pandemic. I think you'll find most brands have problems. If you're first-timers you might want to consider a used coach where the "bugs" have already been worked out. If you really want to buy new, RIDE YOUR DEALER. Do NOT take delivery until you've been over every inch of the unit and gotten the dealer to agree to fixing any issues. Hopefully my video will give you some things to look for. If there's a button, valve, or system, press it, turn it, or use it to make sure it works!
