alflorida

Make it a 2 day drive and spend the night at Elk Creek campground a little west of Gunnison. The have sites for 45' rigs. Much nicer than KOA. https://www.recreation.gov/camping/elk-creek-campground/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=74060

Unless there is something wrong with the engine cooling system on your 45' coach, it should handle that pass with no problems. Going uphill keep your RPM's up to around 80% of max RPM's to help keep the transmission and engine from over heating. Manually downshifting to a lower gear to keep those RPM's up is a good way to drive up mountains. Even if you are only driving at 35-45mph. Going back down, stop at the top to check your brakes. There should be a brake testing pull off at the top of the summit. As you start down, manually shift to 3rd or 4th gear, turn on the exhaust brake and see if that won't hold your downhill speed in the steep sections at 35mph or so. If it creeps up 10mph, press hard for 8-10 seconds to drop your speed back to 35mph. If you are going back up to 45mph in less than 30 seconds or so, you are going too fast. Slow down and get into a lower gear. You should be able to coast down using engine braking with minimal use of the brakes. That is a beautiful drive. Not very fast. Lots of 2 lane, but good highway, with many curves, but very few that are really really sharp. Plan on spending some of your time at 45mph and on curves at 35mph.

You have a real mess there. Go to http://www.tiffinrvnetwork.com/forum/ and join the Tiffin owners forum and post the question there. Chances are someone there has a 2011 bus and can compare your set up to theirs. BEFORE, posting pictures, spend a little more time and take pictures which are in focus or clearer. If you are using a smart phone, once you take the pictures, view them on the phone and then zoom in on the pictures to be sure they are clear. It is just being considerate when asking for assistance to be sure you have good pictures. It would even be more helpful to take 3 pictures. The right battery, the left battery and then both together. That makes an even clearer picture to look at.

I am seeing what may be 2 glaring problems maybe more. The first as simple as you have the batteries in backwards. Think about turning them around so that the positive terminal on the batteries are on the right as viewed in the pictures. This way the red cable coming in on the right most terminal will go to the positive post. Second the large red cable going to the center of the left hand battery is RED, and is attached to that strange looking jumper cable going to the negative terminals of both batteries. That should attach to the positive terminals. Probably on the jumper that goes from the red cable on the far right to the right hand terminal on the left battery. Additional issues. There are several small wires some of which look like they are painted red and/or have red colored wire. A couple of them are attached to a jumper which is going to the negative posts.

You can drive or take the bus to the overlooks inside the park in a days time, so just an overnight stay. Or you can do several hikes down below the rim, one each day for 3-5 days. And you could also add a day trip to Kodachrome State Park, for another day. And another day to go to Red Canyon for hikes as well: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/dixie/recarea/?recid=24944. There are also ranger lead hikes inside Bryce. All depends on what you want to do. 1 day to 2 weeks.

Or on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Norcold-Inc-Refrigerators-633324-Assembly/dp/B0031XQRE6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529267331&sr=8-1&keywords=RV+fridge+ice+maker

I agree the 37QDB is a FRED. However the FRED has a 300HP engine and the OP is asking about the 340HP engine, which is in the RED. So there is confusion. It is my error in not closely researching for the model number.

Caravan tour?? If you want everything pre-planned and are willing to move exactly when the schedule says to. No extra time to stay longer if bad weather keeps you from seeing what was planned for that location. Also if it is rainy and you really don't want to drive that day. To bad, you gotta go. But you don't have to do the planning or figure out what to see and do. Much to rushed and regimented for us. By yourself??? That is the way we travel. At our own pace, no reservations unless absolutely necessary. We dry camp and boondock a lot so seldom stay in RV Parks. Our Alaska trip was 4 1/2 months from Oregon to AK and back, plus another 4.5 months away from home that year, 2016. Places to see? Everything which interests you. Get a copy of Milepost and start reading. Here are some blogs of AK trips: Our 2016 trip: http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/2017/01/alaska-trip-index-april-26september-6.html This couple mostly boondocked: http://www.mytripjournal.com/travel-602970-canada-mail-anniversary-border-eat-items-price-sumas CoolRVers On the Road: Border Crossing to Cache Creek http://www.mytripjournal.com/travel-679979

To the OP. It would be nice if you came back and updated what your final solution was. Herman's suggestion sounds like a good one.

I have had tires go "BANG" and do damage with a TPMS showing normal tire pressure until after the BANG and then the TPMS show "zero" pressure. This is not an argument against TPMS. A TPMS is a critical device I have had on every RV I have owned in the last 12 years and will not have an RV without them.

I guess you are referring to the Tiffin Allegro Bay RED (Rear Engine Diesel)? It has more power than the Ford V-10. However it is not a true diesel pusher with the larger engine such as the Phaeton, Allegro Bus. It may be comparable to the Fleetwood Excursion mentioned earlier. It is also not priced like the Phaeton and Allegro Bus.

The few times I need to stay at an RV Park I use: http://www.rvparkreviews.com/ to check out places with full hookups. We mostly dry camp in National Parks and other places or boondock so not a lot of help with RV Parks.

If you like salmon fish to eat, look for a small sign on the road just as you start out on the spit. It pointed to the left and said "Fresh Salmon 3 miles". Twice a week they had fresh salmon on ice which came off the boat the evening before. The commercial fishing regulations limited the fishing to twice a week. So this guy would get 5' x 5' x 3' tubs of salmon from the commercial fishermen. He usually sold out by noon or early afternoon. You could reserve some fish a day or two before the sale day. You can't beat the price, especially paying for a license and a charter boat to take you out. Even if you had you own boat the fish would probably be cheaper. Of course you would not have the experience of the chase after the fish and the excitement of hauling the fish in.

Hope you have deep pockets. Have you checked the prices? $68, plus 7.5% tax, no weekly rates. This is for a gravel spot w/o much room between you and your neighbor. Or if you are experienced with dry camping you can stay next door for $15/day (unless they have gone up since 2016). Dump station & water available in the CG. Wind??? That side of the spit is leeward side, so wind is not usually very bad. We stayed for a little over 2 weeks on the other city park right where the spit branches off the mainland, on what seemed to be the windward side, right on the water. We did have some wind, but nothing over about 10-15mph. Mornings were usually calm to a light breeze. This was from about June 17-July5.

Merry Christmas to all. Also Happy "Winter Solstice Celebration" to all, which was celebrated for thousands of years earlier. I hope everyone has a joyous time no matter what your reason for celebration this time of the year. Be happy and be good to one another.

Since the cost of RV Parks will be crimping your budget, consider volunteer work in National Forests, National Parks, State Parks and other places. Generally you get free parking with utilities for around 24-30 hours of work a week. Also people work camp at commercial RV Parks to supplement their income. I do have to ask, though. Did you buy too much of an RV for your budget if $12,000 a year for RV Park fees is a problem. A 44 foot long diesel pusher is not an inexpensive rig. Should be very, very comfortable though.

Do you have clearance to mount the new TV just outside the hole the old TV was in? I replaced our old 26" picture tube TV with a 32" flat screen by mounting it outside the hole. It is only about 2 1/2" farther out, and not much farther out than the cabinet doors on each side. For mounting I attached a piece of 3/4" plywood across the hole and attached a swing arm to the board. When traveling I have a buckle strap to pull the TV back to foam blocks to take the weight off the swing arm.

Absolutely. If you are in a location where the temps are well below freezing for many, many hours, (12 to 36 hours or more) you must make sure to get heat to where your water pipes are and your water and waste tanks are located. However if the outside temps are above freezing at 1am and the temp only drops well below freezing through a couple of hours after sunrise, usually your basement will be fine. Every RV is different so you MUST educate yourself on the configuration of your RV. A couple of years ago in our Class A we were camped overnight just outside Gallup, NM. The temps were right at 32* about 7pm and dipped to 9* right at sunrise. I had a remote thermometer in my water fill compartment. It was down to 27* with the outside temp at 9*. No problems. The 27* for 2-3 hours was not going to freeze the water in the pipes. I did kick on the forced air furnace to put some heat down there when we got up. Something a lot of folks forget about. If the outside temps are down to 20* or well into the teens for 6-12 hours, you better open up the cabinet doors beneath your sinks so the air from inside the RV will circulate to the pipes along the outside wall. Yep. Be sure to open a window a couple of inches and the ceiling vent 2-3 inches for ventilation. All the heaters I have seen have ample warnings about ventilation. Yep. The RVIA code is one of the things why RV shops will not install an unvented heater. I am not sure why the CO (Carbon Monoxide) keeps being talked about with the catalytic heaters and everyone ignores the CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) which is primary reason for the ventilation requirements. I have never had my CO detectors register a high level of CO or have the alarm go off with the use of a catalytic heater in about 14 years of use. Absolutely, everyone should research the proper use and ventilation before using a catalytic heater. That also means not just accepting comments from people stating "Don't use them!" Or comments from others saying "No problem. They work fine. No worries." Do your research, read the info in the owners manuals for the heaters. Manuals for most heaters are available on line. Then make your own decision.

Since I started the conversation about catalytic heaters I should add a few details. -- I installed our first one in 2004 in a 33' TT and have used them extensively as our only heating device unless we have free elect hookups. I have installed the heaters in a 5th wheel, diesel pusher, 26' Class C and now our 29' Class A. -- About needing wall space for the heater.....I always install a quick disconnect propane gas connection and use a flexible hose to the heater. This also allows me to aim the heater to where we want the heat. -- We also love to travel in the fall, winter and spring so we experience quite a bit of cold weather. Including one night that it was below freezing by 4pm and 12* at daylight the next morning. Lots of frost on the inside of the windshield that morning -- We use lots of blankets on the bed, so have only left the catalytic heater on while we slept 2-3 times in the last 14 years. When we do use the heater while we sleep we slightly open a window by the bed. -- Always, while the heater is on, the ceiling vent is open, usually at least half way. -- Needing to have the vent open usually brings a response about how much heat you loose with a partially open window and ceiling vent. Well, just go outside and stand by your forced air furnace while it is running. You are probably loosing a 100 times as much heat from the furnace than I loose through the ceiling vent and a window slightly open. -- We have two CO (Carbon Monoxide) detectors, one in the living area and one by the bedroom. You should have one installed even if you don’t use a catalytic heater. -- The catalytic heaters produce almost no CO. The gas cooking stove produces many, many more times as much CO as the heater. -- The heater does produce quite a bit of CO2, hence the need for ventilation. You also need the ventilation for the water vapor produced by the heater to escape as much as possible. Anyways, that is my 13 year experience with catalytic heaters in a RV. We love their quiet efficient operation. A couple of additional comments. I have read many form topics over the years. There seems to be two sides to the issue of using catalytic heaters. Those of us who use them extensively and love them and are aware of their potential dangers. Then there are those who warn of dire circumstances that will happen with their use. I really doubt that those who are convinced we will have horrible consequences, by using them, have ever used them. If you dry camp or boondock in cool weather the catalytic heater is indispensable.

That is why we use a catalytic heater. About 99.5% efficient. Also, quiet. We don't have to listen to the fan noise.

Please give us some info about your interests so we can provide better suggestions. Do you dry camp/boondock or do you prefer full hookups? Do you like cities and city attractions or do you prefer out of doors, like National Parks, National Forests, State Parks? Do you like to hike? What distance? 1/4 to 1/2 mile or two hours to 8 hours of hiking. Level ground or up to 1000' elevation gain/loss?

The steep grade is a 14% 1/2 mile grade, up and about the same down the other side. The width of the road is the normal width of highways. Should you take your RV? It all depends on how you feel about the short steep incline. There is a nice pulloff at the top with great views. I don't remember there being much in Presidio to see. However a stop at Fort Leaton Sate Historic Site some several miles east of Presidio is well worth while.

OK, sorry, I found your other topic about your problems. Try calling a mobile RV tech. A good one will be willing to talk to you about what they are doing and explain what they find as the problem. If you are in a RV Park see if others there have had a good experience with one. Usually taking to a shop for a problem like this you get to talk to the service writer who doesn't always understand the details of the problem. Then the tech gets involved and tries to trouble shoot not knowing for sure what the customer reported the problem to be. So the tech works on the problem, the chassis battery goes dead. Checks what they should and finds "something" not right and fixes that and sends you on your way. Or many doesn't find anything really wrong and replaces something to see if that fixes it. Intermittent problems are difficult to fix.

You stated that sometimes your batteries are dead in two hours. What did you use to determine that the batteries were fully charged at the start of the two hour time period. It takes a pretty significant load to kill a good battery system, which is fully charged, in 2 hours.

I would suggest you take a little time and educate yourself on RV electrical systems by reading these two links: http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm The 12volt Side of Life Part Solar & Inverters Reading the above will not make you an expert, buy may help you understand how things work and help make decisions about repairs and if the repair folks are making sense. If you are just a little bit handy, go buy a volt meter at Walmart or Home Depot for under $20 and check the voltage at your batteries, using the above links for what you should be seeing. Also armed with the battery readings you could come back to this forum and ask for assistance. BTW, if your batteries are original they are about 8 years old and may not hold a charge very well.