jctelling@juno.com

Thanks, Tireman! Of course, now I am more confused than ever. They say that you don't know how little you know until you know a little! JT

Thanks, Gary!

I understand, but - my question was is there a difference between ZXE2 and XZE2+.

Gary, Thanks for your reply, but I have a question - why do you have XZE2+ on the front, and XZA on the back? Thanks, JT

Gary, thanks for your response - but I have a question. Why do you have ZXE2+ on the front and ZXA on the back? JT

Thanks, Tireman. I am not sure if XZE2 and XZE2+ are the same thing. I can only find a couple of Michelin dealers in the Sacramento area. Not that I don't trust them, but it is a pretty sure bet that the people I am talking to have never owned or driven a diesel pusher, so I am not sure how valid their opinion is. JT

I plan to replace the original Goodyear tires on my 2005 Fleetwood Explorer with Michelins. Two companies have given me quotes. One is for XZE2+; the other is for XZA2. Both companies tell me that the tire they are proposing is the right thing to do! Any thoughts? Thanks, jt

Syd, Dog-show people call these things excercise pens (x-pens for short) and you can get them at all kinds of places - even Walmart. If there are any dog show in your area, they usually have vendors welling all this stuff. We show Alaskan Malamutes and during the 30 years or so we have been showing, we came to a few conclusions: 1. Regardless of how small a dog is, if you try to set up an x-pen without a top, the dog will move the x-pan around. This is probably not an issue for you, but if you purchase some panels to go along with the x-pan, you can make a top. This might also discourage Wiley Coyote. 2. X-pens are (typically) made up of eight 2' panels. You use snaps to connect the first and last panel. Some (the ones we use) are eight 2' wide panels which are connected. One of them has a door. We find that this is more secure, for our big mutts, but you probably won't need that type. 3. Get good-quality snaps (the brass ones are best) to connect the ends and the top, if you get one. 4. Get a good-quality stainless steel water bucket (they make little ones for dogs) and be sure to clip it to the side of the x-pen, or your puppy will knock it over. 5. Invest in a mat to go under the x-pen, or your puppy will either dig in the grass, or get dirty from the backtop depending on the surface. Good luck! John

The Amana range in my Excursion has an oven which is not much different than any of the other RV's that I have owned - except I can't get the the oven to light! I am right in thinking that one should push in the oven control, apply a flame to the pilot, and when the pilot has been on for a few moments, let go of the control? The only way I been able to light the oven is to take the cover off the burner, and then actually light the burner. Any ideas? John

I have seen ads for the TowDaddy Autofuse, which seems to be able to know when you are towing. It avoids having to pull the fuse. This would be an great help with my 2009 Acadia. I am not big on buying stuff when I don't know how it works, however. Does anyone know? How complicated is the connection? Thanks! JT

Brett, Thanks for the information. My truck driving buddy has been trying to convince me that there is a switch missing! The PacBrake link that you sent (thanks for that, too) says to 'cycle the exhaust brake manually or electronicall a few times' - how do I do that? JT

My 2005 Excursion (Cat 350, Spartan, Allison Trans) has a PacBrake as well as a Retarder, the latter being controlled by an on/off switch. Can anyone tell me how the PacBrake is activated? I realize that its purpose is to restrict the exhaust flow, but I don't know how it is controlled. Thanks!

My Excursion came with a place where a spare wheel would go if I had one. The dealer who sold me the coach said that tires are so reliable that most people get one from the service who comes to fix the blowout if needed. That now seems kind of dumb, since I could theorstically be stuck for a day or more in the middle of nowhere if the tire guys don't have the right tire. I am now thinking that it would probably be a good idea to carry an unmounted spare tire, since the wheels are not all the same. Is that seem reasonable? I think I have seem information on this before, but I can't remember the responses

We travel down from Northern California to Southern Cal a lot, and the best way (in my opinion) is HWY 101, which takes you through Gilroy, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo etc before going over to the coast at Pismo each. the road then cuts back inland, and goes over to the coast again around Gavioat State Park just after 101 merges with HYW 1. You travel through Santa Barbara, then on to Ventura, where there is a pretty good campground just North of the city. We drive an Excuriosn 39L and tow a GMC Acadia. The other choices are I5, which is dangerous because of the way the truckers drive, and HWY 99, which is my second choice. These converge just south of Bakersfield, and take you over the Grapevine. A lot of people underestimate the steepness and many cars/RVs/trucks overheat, so try to go over when it is cool (under 100 f) - that area gets rather warm!