Search results

  1. PA

    TCM Review

    I think the fact that an Alaskan will often gather a few inquisitive campers wherever you go indicates that even if it was just introduced, it would still command interest an comparisons for potential buyers....and a fair share of just plain nosy types in camp.
  2. PA

    Termites

    The 60 yr old Monterey Cypress and the 58 yr old Pine we had to take down at my house in Novato both had wood borers in them. They weakened individual branches which sagged/broke on the Cypress and the Pine had a nasty sap-like substance running down the bark. The Pine had just about lost all...
  3. PA

    I need to hear a good new joke

    ....and the quintessential lawyer joke.... Question: "what do you call 10,000 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?" Answer: "a good start"
  4. PA

    Winter -- Wow!

    Another storm is starting to hit the Bat Area and the SF & Peninsula should get maybe 3" plus of rain, but North Bay between 4" and EIGHT INCHES of rain. This month when it snowed in the Sierras they measured each storm in FEET!
  5. PA

    Ribs

    I forget which brand we have been buying as Safeway has changed what brands they sell....but they are the kind that come in a pretty decent BBQ sauce and you are directed to cut the slab into several 2, 3 or 4 rib sections and then you can microwave them. I think I'd like to try those by...
  6. PA

    Finally Got My CO, Got Questions

    First thing to do is to inspect the steel "L" bracket running across the rear of the lower section beneath the door. You will notice it is cut lower where the door is located. Look for CRACKS in the corners as that is a significant clue to splay. Pinching at the top of the bottom door where it...
  7. PA

    I Have a Complete 1985 Owners Manual...

    If you have another computer in your house you can recieve email on, send the photos to that email account using the SMALLEST version it your phone offers. When you get them on that computer you can easily crop and save them. When you get back to the WTW, you can use those photos but each post...
  8. PA

    How much does your Alaskan weigh?

    1988 F-250 Lariat extended cab, 8' bed 4x4, 460 cu in, weighed in at 6,400 lbs with the camper shell on which approximates my missing passenger and all the stuff I carry in the rear seating area. My December 1976 8' CO has a factory sticker from Alaskan in Sun Valley, CA that says 1450lbs s...
  9. PA

    Finally Got My CO, Got Questions

    I'd still want to check the lower door frame for splaying at the top. This will cause binding in the sliders. If you lubed the sliders and it seemed to go up/down better that's helpful, but again...when you close the lower door, do you see the same amount of the "frame" to the left of the door...
  10. PA

    Finally Got My CO, Got Questions

    If you have a U-Haul nearby, they stock many of the different pin options. You MUST be on flat ground for this system to raise/lower your top! Older Alaskans tend to yaw at the rear, meaning the bottom has splayed outwards and that can put a bind on the rear pistons especially in lowering the...
  11. PA

    Valentine's Day Surprise

    That is a bummer! Just a thought though, unless you are wedded to that new car smell and unless the accoutrements on the '19 far outweigh those on another truck like the one you want (2500), you might be able to score one with 10,000-20,000 or so miles on it for enough of a price difference to...
  12. PA

    How to reduce weight of an Alaskan?

    Yup...even though the F-250 hardly knows the Alaskan 8' CO is mounted on it, that extends to the gas mileage as well....about a whopping 9 MPG unless I slow down to 55 or so and are not going into a severe headwind all the time.
  13. PA

    How to reduce weight of an Alaskan?

    Kinda like asking how to transport a huge load of cargo by air....you can either get a bigger airplane or carry less cargo. Since chopping up the Alaskan or leaving all your camping gear at home isn't possible, you probably need to go with the bigger truck. In this case, a 3/4 ton truck will be...
  14. PA

    How to reduce weight of an Alaskan?

    If you have a 1/2 ton, that won't be a good idea. I did carry an 8' NCO in my F-150 with no suspension issues, but the smaller V8 engine wasn't happy going up I-80 into the Sierras with the loaded camper towing a small 11' aluminum boat on a trailer. Now I have an F-250 3/4 ton with a 460 gasser...
  15. PA

    Preventative Maintenance

    Off hand I'd say that Brian would be right on about a tarp trapping moisture, however my Alaskan has the front and rear "racks" which hold up the tarp I have and allow wind to circulate under the tarp. You have an AC unit and if you had those racks also I would not think that condensation would...
  16. PA

    Floor Support Question

    If it was kept from leaking at all the roof seams/holes/vents then as long as you keep up with that you will be OK. Winter camping with frayed Pirelli seals will probably overcome any heater output so get on that ASAP. Look up the model of your heater and I think the guys/gals here can help you...
  17. PA

    Preventative Maintenance

    if the subject of sawhorses came up then I assume you dismount your Alaskan for some periods of time. I would add to the caulking suggestion by saying why not tarp the rig to keep rainwater at bay? I would also say that two sawhorses won't be enough. Many guys who dismount them have built...
  18. PA

    Floor Support Question

    Sounds like a good, well thought out plan....one last suggestion though......aside from the features you want/don't want in your Alaskan, buy the BEST one you can find. That may not mean the newest one for your budget . You can read up on the years when Alaskans were made with what I can only...
  19. PA

    Floor Support Question

    The most strain will of course be where the tiedowns are no matter how you choose to engineer them. Using a fixed bolted system to attach the bottom of the Alaskan to the frame without any rubber bushings seems to me to be the best plan. Any movement will begin the process of hogging out the...
  20. PA

    Advice needed for Alaskan

    Maybe Wagoneer/Adrian and I could both come over and help you lift the top using his jacks? Once secured, you can begin to strip things and get a list together for guys who need things like that window Nailhead needs.
  21. PA

    Floor Support Question

    The wooden floor is a place where soft wood/rot can occur anywhere in the floor and more worrisome, where the floor is joined to the sidewalls. Horror stories about guys leaving the Alaskan on the jacks with the floor unsupported ended with the floor falling out of the lower section have been...
  22. PA

    Where to order Pirelli seals

    Vic.....think of their lifetime as you would your windshield wipers in a broad generalization. Exposure to the sun and heat deteriorates any rubber product of synthetic. Then you have to factor in how often the top is raised/lowered which get more damaging as the seal begins to harden...
  23. PA

    Cleaning the upholstery question

    Just remember to let them know you will be sleeping on the cushions and as such, the foam can't be too hard or too soft. Once they know that you should be good to go...I assume you will be doing the seat and seat back on each side of a front dinette style Alaskan or if you have a side dinette...
  24. PA

    Used Camper Alert Thread

    Alaskan $800 OBO - in PNW https://olympic.craigslist.org/rvs/d/port-townsend-1950s-alaskan-camper-800/6795639279.html ..And it looks to come with about $1000 worth of jacks! The wood stove would work in your shop and allthe fittings are highly prized by Alaskan guys restoring theirs!
  25. PA

    Camper removal with no jacks

    If you had access to a loading dock just a tad lower than the current height of your rig... 1) you had four jacks to lift the camper 2) had access to a forklift 3) you could put a 3/4" sheet of plywood on the forks (you'd need the fork extensions that would get to the front of the camper or...

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