garykd

Hi classCmotorhomes, You have a great idea to rent a coach for a month long trip. For me, looking only at the cost might not be the best way to make the decision. The first thing is to GOOGLE "RV rental". All the big companies will be there for you to look into. When the comparison was done between a RV trip and a hotel trip, did you look at all the costs for both ways to travel? I haven't done this for quite some time, but the last time I made the comparison, the $s came out pretty close. The $ advantage was to the hotel way to travel, but not by much. When one does these comparisons many of the questions to be answered are personal preference. That means a lot when comparing only the $s. Things like: 1. eating out vs eating at the coach/CG 2. the real fuel mileage 3. additional maintenance on your own vehicle vs the built into the rental cost of maintenance on the coach 4. the comparison should assume no breakdown cost. However, your vehicle breakdown(s) are your cost. Coach breakdown repairs are included in the rental price. 5. How many motel rooms will you really need, if you go by car? The intangible items to look at are: 1. riding in a car vs a coach. For me, there is no way I would take my 3 Gkids around the USA (we do this every year for 2 months) in a car. The only way to show them the USA is in a coach. 2. The car trip requires hauling all your stuff into the motel and returning, the stuff, to the car when you move. In the coach once it is packed, that's it. 3. Laundry can be done at the campground. How will you clean your cloths on the trip by car. 4. In the coach, everybody gets a window seat. 5. In a coach, your higher than in a car. Much better view. 6. In my travels, with two generations of kids, I've never heard "are we there yet". There have also been no fights about anything. 7. Except for the driver, bathroom breaks can be taken while moving down the road. I'm sure others will have more things for you to consider.

Hi, Ron. I hope you take Brett's challenge and post what your view is that FMCA could do instead of raising membership dues. When all a person does is complain, I consider that whining. When I read about this, I took advantage of the current rate and signed up for another 5 years. Now, ya'll are stuck with me for longer than you might have thought.

Hi mapdlpurdy, My apology, I do not have experience with the 5K tow bars. However, I agree with Explorer. I purchased a Blue Ox Tow Bar with a 10K rating. Right now this is what I need. The secondary reason is that I do not look to purchase a small light weight vehicle in the future. (There needs to be major improvements in comfort for 6' + people before I buy one of the light weight vehicles.) If you are sure you'll never need to tow over 5K lbs. go for it.

Hi danorske, Normally I'd welcome a first post to the FMCA forum. In your case I'm making an exception. Maybe your future posts will be of benefit to other members. A speed trap is when one is not provided information in time to slow down. Or the information is so poorly provided one must be a local to know the information is there. I figured someone would post something like your post. Your lack of sensitivity is appalling. There are still corrupt officers and municipalities out there, even in the 21st century. Try not judging until you walk a mile in the other person's shoes. There are so many speed traps in Northwest Colorado it reminds me of the 50's and 60's in Jesup and Ludowici, Georgia. If you haven't been there, please go. Then your posts may be different. Enough said?

Hi Marshall2u, Your best bet is to call Spartan, with your vin and ask about the speedo.

Hi Driverdaisy, The state may be too large to stay in one place and see it by car. Consider three places to stay (maybe one month in each place). Anywhere around: 1. Rocky Mountain National Park. (North Central) 2. Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Canon City area (Central) 3. Cortez area (Southwest) You'll find plenty to do. Stay away from the Northwest corner of Colorado (Dinosaur National Monument area) The towns in the area and the National Park police run speed traps (I do mean speed traps, pretty obvious after one is trapped). There is no joy in this area of the state.

Hi jomarfl, If your looking for something like this: I have used this for several years. The 2" receiver will take many different attachments for carrying many different accessories. The toad rating is for 10K lbs. The accessory rating is for 4K lbs. It is a bit overkill, but it has worked as advertised and I would make the same purchase again.

Hi Thom, Is there a way for you to put the kayak on top of the towed car? Go to http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/TopKayak...&cPath=6_27 for some ideas. In addition, if you GOOGLE "tandem kayak transport", I guarantee you get some ideas. I didn't know there were so many ways to carry a tandem kayak.

Hi Gedney, Congrats, nice job and well done.

Hi Butch, The brushes could be the problem, along with the switch, ground wire, connections, etc. It is time to get the meter out and starting with the easiest part to access, take readings. If you can get the failure to occur and be able to take the measurements, that would help. I had a similar problem back in the 1980's. However, my problem was a hard failure. It was the dash switch. I hope you find the problem before it drives you nuts. Good luck.

Hi Thom & Ouarda Wells, Welcome to the FMCA forum. For me, having a car is a must have for traveling in a coach. You'll need to look in the owners manual to determine if the car is towable and what the procedure is for towing. Consider contacting Blue OX to determine if the tow bar is okay for the weight of your car. After that, you'll need a baseplate for the car ask Blue Ox about this. Once permanently mounted to your car, it will hook to the tow bar. You'll also need a way to have running/brake/turn signal lights work in unison with the coach. Lastly, you'll need a braking system for the car that is activated by the coach. There are many vendors for each of these components. Blue Ox has everything you need. You can also go to any RV Dealer's service dept to get you set up. As to traveling to out of the way places, there are many books on the market that will fill your head with places to see. Go to http://rvbookstore.com/Index.aspx and see what might interest you.

Hi thomwells, Welcome to the FMCA forum. For me, I do not leave any portable heaters running unless someone is in the coach. Consider an extend-a-stay addition to your propane system. Go to http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/lp-gas/50525.htm to see an example of an extend-a-stay. I have this product and use additional bottles of propane when we are parked for a while and need the furnace.

Hi Marshall, Please do post your progress. Consider completing the renovations in small steps. This will allow time for you to use the coach. Using the coach will allow you to get a better feel for any modifications to your renovations, based on actual use.

Hi Don, Welcome to the FMCA forum. I use both a dolly and 4 down towing methods (not at the same time ). Each have their + and -. For me it doesn't matter which method I use. The bottom line is it depends on which car is best for that particular trip. I always reserve a camp site that will accommodate the coach and dolly. In 4 years of use (the current dolly) I have never disconnected the dolly during a trip.

Hi dalltop, You are correct. The diesel engine's advantage is torque. Like Brett posted, it is that the diesel can reach peak torque and HP and run there for very long periods of time. There are many additional considerations the OP might want to consider. However, for a first purchase on a let's see if we like it basis, all these considerations would make a potential buyer run away from the RV lifestyle. Most likely, the potential first time buyer is not able to answer the questions an experienced RVer would ask themselves. Maybe it's just me, but I am not able to remember the engine, transmission or chassis that were on my previous coaches. They were like toasters. Maintained properly they just worked. The floor plan, now that is different. Both the wife and I can provide great detail on the floor plan faults we encountered. So, to Marshall2u keep it simple; 1. floor plan 2. if you will tow, will the coach tow a vehicle you have 3. is a vehicle you have towable 4. get the coach and automotive checked out by certified techs 5. live with the + and - of the chosen RV. (After 32 years of owning a coach, I haven't found the perfect RV yet.) 6. ENJOY

Hi George, Welcome to the FMCA forum. What I have done is screw a large "L" shaped hook into the ceiling of the electrical bay. I coil and hang my shore cord to this hook. This does not completely eliminate the problem in your OP. However, for me, it does minimize the problem. By hanging each coil on the hook, gravity works with me to help coil the cord. The hook is steel with a plastic coating. Their original use is to hang things in one's garage. They can be purchased in all the hardware big box stores and Ace Hardware.

Pulled into the Tampa RV Super Show. Went to deploy the jacks and no joy. Key in ACC and HWH panel shows the system is on. When I pushed any jack button the system would make a noise reminding me of someone who is trying to bench press too much weight. Then all the HWH lights would go off, at the driver's control panel. The lights on the HWH circuit board remained on. I know the drill. Document all the lights (off, red or yellow) and call HWH. They called me back the same day! The tech told me as someone pressed the jack button, take a voltage reading between a point on the circuit board and the circuit board ground point. Then take a reading between the same circuit board point and chassis ground. The first reading was 6 VDC. The second reading was 11 VDC. The tech said I had a bad ground. I was to run a new ground wire from the negative side of the pump to chassis ground. I'm not sure how the pros do this, but I was not able to access the negative side of the pump. Newmar put the HWH system on before the coach is mounted to the chassis. Obviously, they never expect anyone of shade tree skill to attempt to get at the pump connections. So, I decide to run a new ground wire direct from the circuit board to the chassis. I remove the seal and front plastic window. Next, I removed the screw holding one end of the circuit board ground wire. Bad decision. I hear tinkle, tinkle, tinkle! There is a nut on the back of this screw that has now fallen to the bottom of the housing for the HWH circuit board. To make a long story short, I had to take out the entire metal housing that contains the circuit board (no small trick). The hardest part was getting the 5 plugs unplugged. Now that the housing was out of the coach I could repair my mistake and use the other end of the wire to make my connection. Put it all back together, then put the assembly back into the coach. Ran the new ground wire to chassis ground. The jacks worked flawlessly. Better than new. All the above took about 1 day. What a way to start the Tampa RV Show. Lastly, the level adjustment needed to be re adjusted.

Hi bobraef, If the main concern is power in the mountains, buy the diesel. Torque is king and the diesel should have the best torque curve (relationship to HP).

Hi Marshall2u, Welcome to the FMCA forum. Floor plan sells the coach. Think about how you will use the coach for the next year or two. Determine which floor plan fits your needs the best. Buy that coach. As to the coach condition, spend a few $s and have two techs check out the coach. One certified tech for the automotive and one certified tech for the coach. Only then make an offer.

Hi TomandMark, Welcome to the FMCA forum. I waited to post on this thread hoping to see additional posts by you. Additional posts anywhere on the forum would help legitimize your RV intentions. Since there is nothing, one must conclude there is a lack of sincerity from you about the FMCA forum's main purpose. This purpose is the thoughtful sharing of all kinds of RVing information. With an ad hoc purpose, the forum might not suite your needs or provide value to you. As to the topic of your OP, the bottom line is a chapter can survive only if it supports its members. To that end, it is up to you to find a chapter that you are comfortable with. I belong to several RVing organizations. I belong to chapters that I find value in and can contribute value in return.

Hi msms113, Welcome to the FMCA forum. I have not experienced this on my coach. However, I have seen A&E toppers that have broken internal parts and do as described in your post. I agree with Tom. Get the coach to an authorized service center for repair. The bottom line is when parts do break they can jam the topper and cause the bracket holding the topper to the coach to be ripped off when the slide is extended. Before the bracket gets ripped off the slide corner that the bracket mounts to is bent. Slides are very powerful. Not much stops their movement. The only other remedy is a DIY. When it comes to toppers, if you are not skilled in this, I do not recommend you try it. Think of the spring in a topper roller tube like the spring on a garage door. If you don't know what you are doing, they can hurt or kill very quickly.

Hi iradi8, I'm sorry for this late reply. If there is still time, ask the tech to disconnect and remove the WH heating element. Leave it disconnected. Turn on the WH. Does the circuit breaker still trip? If the element is the problem, the circuit breaker will not trip. If the breaker still trips, there is indeed a short somewhere.

Hi David, This is a long shot for you, but it does stop wind noise. If the windows in your coach have weep holes in the bottom window frame try this. Put some black electrical tape over the weep holes. The weep holes have been a source of wind noise since my first coach in 1978.

Hi Pier, Welcome to the FMCA forum. Excluding Florida, please consider: 1. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Even in the off season, there is plenty to do. Shows to attend, miniature golf and a variety of other tourist attractions. Many CGs to choose from. 2. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee This is a "G" rated community. Many shows to attend and other kid related activities. Many CGs to choose from. 3. Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee - Tourist activities center around country music. Memphis has all the Elvis Presley attractions. These places are all accessible via the Interstate highway system.

Hi John H., As a followup on Brett's previous post, my ISC is persnickety on the amount of oil in the crankcase. When the dipstick is at the bottom of the cross hatch marks, I leave it there. Consider letting the oil level settle to a reading it stabilizes at. For me, as long at the oil level is at the bottom of the cross hatch marks, the ISC runs fine. And yes I have the correct dip stick. When I change the oil, this means I add 21 qts, not the 24 qts per spec. Originally I put in 24 qts. The dip stick reading was at the full mark. The ISC would burn out the oil down to the add mark (bottom of the cross hatch marks) in 1K miles. Adding oil did no good. Now I leave it where the engine burns no oil between it's annual oil changes. I average 12K+ miles per year.