raypesek

Same when we used a dolly. In Ohio our agent said that as long as the dolly is attached to the motorhome it's covered, the same as the toad getting clobbered when attached is covered by the motorhome policy. The $35 dolly policy covered it for theft when not attached.

Duh. Well, I guess I over-thought that a bit, eh? 🙄 I couldn't find it before but I just did. The article on soft starts linked to by rayin said damage could result with a soft start due to the start capacitor. At least with the Micro-Air EasyStart the start cap gets removed: http://www.micro-air.com/kb-easystart/articles_installation/easystart_Do_I_Need_To_Remove_The_ PTC_When_Installing_An_EasyStart.cfm Do I Need To Remove The PTC When Installing An EasyStart? Yes, The below factory installed starting components will need to be removed or at least disabled before installing the EasyStart. Start Cap PTCR Start Relay etc...

I installed Micro-Air EasyStarts on my two Atwood AC-1511 15K BTU units and recently got the chance to test it. I was confident the EasyStarts would allow both A/C's to run because I have a friend with the same motorhome and the same A/C's and he full-times. He installed two EasyStarts and he can now run both A/C's on a 30-amp pedestal and does so regularly. So can I now. We have dogs so we really need to assure we can run both A/C's when necessary. If we want to use the microwave we turn the front A/C off because both are on L1. If we want to use the Splendide washer/dryer we turn the bedroom A/C off because both are wired to L2. The fridge and water heater are switched over to propane. FWIW, Ray

Depending on where you are in Michigan, it may be worth a day trip to an Original Mattress Factory location. https://www.originalmattress.com/ We're in the Cleveland, OH area and they have several stores in the area. They will custom make any size for you. That let's you actually try the mattress out first. We use one of their mattresses at home and I was very excited to find out they do custom sizes. And then reality hit. When I talked to them, they cannot guarantee an exact size, just a tolerance due to where they need to cut the springs. I wasn't concerned about the mattress being a bit narrow but a bit wide would be a problem since our bed is in a slide and solidly between the two slide walls. That may or may not be an issue for you. Many people recommend Mattress Insider but I've never used them. We just installed this one this week but have not yet had it on a trip. Their "firm" is not as firm as we like but we're going to give it a try. https://wildernessrvmattress.com/products/the-montana-pillowtop?variant=9831938654255 I watched some YouTube reviews on different mattresses and noted that some of them had discount codes mentioned. We were able to save $50 by using one of those codes. HTH, Ray

I just bought this one and installed it a few days ago. Although it says "Firm" it's more like Medium-Firm but we're going to give it a try. https://wildernessrvmattress.com/products/the-montana-pillowtop?variant=9831938654255 Friends bought it in their "Plush" and I felt like a hot dog in a bun because I sunk in so much. They however love it. It all depends on your preferences. I watched a few review videos on it on YouTube and a few mentioned $50 discount codes. One worked. Ray

As txiceman said. On my Atwood units, I also access both sets of coils from topside and I have to remove a styrofoam cover that encases the evaporator coil. If you have a roof panel inside that you can remove to clean the filter, try removing the cover and shine a flashlight straight up. That lets us see the evaporator from inside. The evaporator coil looks like a radiator with fins and all. Ray

In case you're not aware of it, the US Postal Service offers a free service called Informed Delivery. Each day they will send you an email with a scan of mail arriving that day and with a note about any packages. https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action It's definitely not 100% but pretty close. Last year I noticed we did not get an email about most of our arriving tax documents for some reason but the mail did arrive at our kid's house. Why do they do this? Several years ago the USPS got outed for quietly scanning every piece of incoming mail and saving the images for 30 days for use by law enforcement. After they got outed they started offering this service, so I guess someone got the good idea of just hiding the scanning for law enforcement in plain sight. One option could be to put in a mail hold and use Informed Delivery, or use USPS free forwarding if gone for a while. Even a year ago we would see the email of arriving mail but it would not show up at our kid's address for a couple of weeks. They do live several states away so that may be part of it. FWIW, Ray

rsdata posted this yesterday and lives in the area: https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...-a-220328.html He is going to add updates as he sees fit.We'll be at the FMCA campground this weekend so I am hoping this does not affect our travel to the south too much. I-275 south uses a different bridge to get back to I-75 so here's hoping...The Brent Spence double decker bridge had a semi carrying a flammable hazmat, potassium hydroxide, hit a jackknifed semi just before 3 AM on November 11th. The temps from an estimated 400 gallons of diesel combined with the corrosive effects of the hazmat when combined with water has the bridge closed, maybe for several weeks.Another old suspension bridge, Roebling, was also closed later because it has a 22,000 pound limit and many semis were using it as a detour.Ray

Actually I noticed that a few weeks after I got it. It seemed to just be an informative counter because I was way over the 10 GB default due to streaming and it kept on working. I did find that setting and bumped it up several zeros just so it would stop annoying me whenever I looked at the display. Ray

So we made it to the FMCA campground this evening the normal way, I-275 to Rt 32 using exit 63A. Interestingly, our fully-updated Garmin RV 785 simply did not want us to take Exit 63A and Rt 32 to Round Bottom Road. It did everything it could to avoid that route, including trying to divert us on to Bells after we got off on exit 63A. As we proceeded anyway we saw why. Garmin thinks there is a 5-ton weight limit somewhere on Rt .32 but we saw no signs. I'm guessing it used to be that bridge as you go own the hill but we saw no signs at all. That being said, my new glasses are waiting for me at Costco right now. Ray

On the top of the Mifi 8000L at the upper right corner, right at the bend downwards, there is a button. Ray

Medical Evacuation and Repatriation If an Insured Person's Accidental Bodily Injury, disease or illness occurs while on a Trip and requires the Medical Evacuation or Repatriation of the Insured Person while the Insured Person is on a Trip, then We will pay the Covered Expenses for such Medical Evacuation or Repatriation up to $500,000. --------------------------- WHAT IS NOT COVERED? The following exclusions apply to all benefits or Hazards under this policy. Additional exclusions, limitations or conditions may also apply to specific benefits or Hazards. Please read this entire policy carefully. Disease or Illness: This insurance does not apply to any claims caused by or resulting from, directly or indirectly, the Insured Person's emotional trauma, mental or physical illness, disease, pregnancy, childbirth or miscarriage, bacterial or viral infection, bodily malfunctions or medical or surgical treatment or diagnosis thereof. This exclusion does not apply to the Insured Person's bacterial infection caused by an Accident or by Accidental consumption of a substance contaminated by bacteria. Epidemic or Pandemic: This insurance does not apply to any claims caused by or resulting from, directly or indirectly, an Epidemic or Pandemic as defined by the World Health Organization. ------------------------- Is that a conflict? One section says disease is covered but Exclusions says it's not. Ray

I've noticed my cameras would disconnect and not reconnect after some time. I started tracking it on my calendar and right about once a month they stop and I have to reboot the Mifi to restore operation for another month. I've also noticed some pretty good slowdowns that are resolved by a reboot. Have you done that recently? Hold down the button on the top and a menu will pop up to restart or shutdown. Ray

Yup. I got the car into dealer today but because the codes cleared themselves they could not do anything. Interestingly, one of the DTC codes indicated that the Stability Control System was active too long, "too long" apparently meaning fifteen minutes. It applies the brakes to the wheels when it thinks you're in a skid and apparently sometimes the hydraulic actuators hang up. That would explain why one wheel was 35% warmer than the other three (135 degrees versus 100 degrees). But the dealer did not think so but I don't think they understand the system very well. Well, at least I have something to tell a different dealer. if it happens again. Ray

Thanks, Ross. Yesterday and today definitely did not go as planned... Yesterday I-71 south was closed south of Columbus, OH due to an accident and stayed closed for at least a few hours. Fortunately Garmin Drive gave us a heads-up so we took I-270 W around Columbus to I-70 west. Then we took I-675 south and picked up I-71 again. Not too bad and only added about 25 minutes to the trip. The we saw the separate exit 63A and 63B exit signs and learned too late that they are the same exit ramp, just going in different directions. So we proceeded on to the next exit, 65, I think. My wife was driving and wanted something to eat so she pulled into a McDonalds with a parking lot that was a tad too small. So while she went inside I unhooked the car and then we lined everything back up and got out OK. The gas station at that exit next to the McDonalds was pretty tight but she is a good driver, having been a firefighter for 26 years. But there was no real way to make a left turn to get back to the interstate so when the GPS said to take a right on 8 Mile Road (I think it was), we did. Hilly and winding to say the least. And narrow. But we made it OK while taking the back way. There is a Circle K a mile or so from the campground that could be OK in a pinch but it has a pretty small island at one of the exits. As we left this morning we saw there is BP on 32 that has possibilities but it's off to the side a bit and I could not get a good look. And then today, about 2.5 hours out of Nashville and right after we left a rest area, my 2020 AWD Equinox decided to text me saying I needed to get the anti-lock brakes and the stability control system serviced within the next seven days. And I cancelled OnStar as of yesterday. I did some quick research and the main cause seems to be a bad wheel bearing. We pulled off at the next exit about four miles away and I shot the hubs. The passenger front was about 135 degrees F and almost too hot to touch versus 100 for the other three. So tomorrow I get up early to take the car to a local dealer. And by the time we actually got to the campground, the errors seen in the car had all cleared themselves and all wheel hubs were the same temperature. Go figure. Whew. Ray

Thanks. I'm going to use yours because it's how FMCA says to go and it looks a lot simpler. I appreciate the extra detail you provided. That RVTW one must be the "scenic route". I thought we could use jacks on the asphalt if we had pads and we have SnapPads. I'll check when we arrive. I always use manual leveling and barely lift the wheels.

Thanks! Yes, we have one of the electric-only sites reserved but we're only staying one night. We keep the goose egg in the windshield all the time. These are the RVTW directions but I have not yet checked the GPS routing: 9: Take left exit 99A toward Cincinnati onto I-71 S. Go for 96.2 mi. 10: Take exit 9 toward Red Bank Rd/Fairfax onto Red Bank Expy. Go for 2.0 mi. 11: Continue on Red Bank Rd. Go for 0.8 mi. 12: Turn left and take ramp onto Columbia Pkwy (US-50 E) toward Milford. Go for 0.7 mi. 13: Continue on Wooster Pike (US-50). Go for 1.3 mi. 14: Turn right onto Wooster Pike (US-50). Go for 1.1 mi. 15: Turn right onto Newtown Rd toward Little Miami Golf Course/Bass Island. Go for 0.5 mi. 16: Continue on Church St. Go for 0.1 mi. 17: Turn left onto Valley St. Go for 0.3 mi. 18: Turn right onto Round Bottom Rd. Go for 0.1 mi. 19: Arrive at Round Bottom Rd. Your destination is on the left. Ray

Good question. We'll be coming in from I-71 north tomorrow. We'll likely do the interstate fuel-up on the way in. It looks like FMCA is less than 10 miles from I-71 exit 99A. The next day is about 300 miles which will take us below a half-tank when we hit Nashville but that's OK. Ever since 9/11 I prefer to fuel up on the way in rather than the way out. Always be ready to escape. Thanks for all of the suggestions, folks. Ray

Agreed but the stations where the pumps are lined up with the store and the store has parking directly in front, like all of them, can be a bit more difficult. We've had to wait to clear a pump because someone decided to park right in the area where we needed to turn. Couple that with the 42-degree wheel cut and an alleged 68' turning radius, well, we'd rather make it a bit less complicated by planning ahead. Ray

I do but it doesn't help with locating a true "RV friendly" fuel stop for a gasser. I've already learned to take what the Pilot/Flying J app says with a healthy bit of skepticism. I figure someone on the forum has stayed at the FMCA campground and could give a pointer. Ray

We're doing our first night there on Thursday so I was hoping someone could advise if there are any good fuel stations nearby. We're 38' towing a car and use gasoline. We'll be coming in from the north on I-71 and prefer to fuel up as close to the campground on the way in because 6 MPG. Thanks, Ray

There's always a reason. I've had the FMCA service for maybe a year now and had no issues connecting as long as I had at least one bar. Sure, some places are spotty but with T-Mobile taking over things should get better, or at least not worse. User manuals are not intended anymore to actually convey useful information, as you probably know. I just went through the Mifi screens and figured out how to change the SSID, passwords and DHCP range.

Sorry, I was trying to give some weight to Brian's comments because I doubt many people know who he is. Ray

Is the hot water pressure in the shower adequate but cool or cold? You specified "sink" but you should have at least two sinks, bathroom and kitchen. Is the hot water pressure low at both sinks or just one? Which one if just one? Do you know what kind of water heater you have? If the kind with a tank, locate and check the water heater bypass valves. These are used for the winterization process. Do you have an outside shower, usually found in the wet bay compartment? A common cause for a lack of hot water is someone using the outside shower head and turning the water off at the shower head but leaving the valves turned on. That causes the hot and cold water to mix inside the RV. But that will not explain the lack of pressure. Ray

It sounds like somebody jumped the gun in making that press release. I threw the same note on the RV Life Forest River forum, where some FR employees are actively assigned to monitor and respond, and Brian Clemens from FR responded later in the thread: https://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/f4/fmca-announces-partnership-with-the-fr-motorized-divisions-215411.html EDIT: Extraneous details deleted. Ray