gbrinck

I have a Surge Guard #40250 combination ATS and surge protect & power monitor. It replaced a similar unit (AES brand. no longer made) that began to give false "no ground" alarms after about 5 years. The Surge Guard is now 6 years old and still doing fine. I think, though, that a smarter solution is a separate ATS and hard-wired power monitor. I don't see any advantage (including price) in combining them, and either function can fail.

We've owned 3 coaches with slides and a 5W trailer as well, both hydraulic and rack & pinion types.. Have had very few problems specifically related to slide design, but definitely not zero problems. Like most electro-mechanical "improvements", things can occasionally go wrong. I suppose it's possible to design a submarine or aircraft quality slide, but even those need constant preventive maintenance to be failsafe. Overall, though, I'm satisfied with the cost/benefit ratio of RV slides. In general, though, RVs in general are not that great on reliability and could certainly be better designed. And not always at much greater expense either.

The motor in my Carefree Eclipse is undersized for the task of rolling up a 20 ft awning. Very slow and the slightest additional load, e.g. a tree branch against it, will prevent it from moving at all unless I give it a helping hand to get started. Last year it wouldn't start at all on its own and I eventually figured out there was a bit of corrosion on the wire connections at the motor head and the slight voltage drop (only about 0.2v) was enough to stop it. These are standard car power window motors (Dorman is the brand on mine) and I've thought about trying to find a mechanically compatible one with a bit higher torque. Haven't done the homework yet, though.

Mine do that once in awhile as well on hot days when they run non-stop. The breaker just seems to get warm enough for the occasional trip-out. The sort of dual breaker you have is probably not what Herman is talking about, i.e. no cap that forces both to trip when either one gets hot. That would be typical of a 220v breaker, not independent 120v circuits. It is usually just two separate breakers in one physical package and occupying one slot in the load center (I have two pairs of those in mine). Each one handles a separate circuit (wire), so there is no combined load to worry about. Well, with the exception that the two are physically very close together and any heat build-up in one also affects the other.

His Allegiance probably has a Spartan chassis rather than Freightliner.

It's not hard to DIY on the type of commercial scale usually found at sand & grave yards, moving van companies, etc. They are typically flat (flush with the ground) and have enough room to drive one wheel at a time onto the scale to get a weight. Truck stop scales are often raised and are designed to give separate axle weights in one pass, so mostly difficult to use for corner weigts.

They are pretty rare, though. Not many gas UFO's were produced and sales were never good. Workhorse offered it in both gas and diesel, but the availability of the gas version was delayed and the few buyers opted for a Cummins diesel anyway. The Winnebago Destination and its Itasca Latitude sister were probably the most widely produced, but as I recall Gulfstream made a few, Tiffin made a concept model for an RV show but I don't recall it ever coming to market.

In my opinion those dealer "paint protection" packages are way overpriced, little more than extra profit on the deal. Ditto for interior protection packages - nothing more than spraying with Scotchguard. If you aren't willing to do it yourself, hire a detailing outfit to do the job. Probably half the price. Any decent quality "wax" job (they are nearly all synthetic protectants these days anyway) will do the job of protecting your finish and keeping it shiny. And your clear-coated paint job will easily last 5+ years regardless, so those "guarantees" they give with the "platinum protection" (or whatever they call it) don't mean much. If you think this is something you may want, ask very specific questions about just what they are promising. If you are unhappy with the look after a couple years, will they re-do it on your say-so? Or do they get to decide whether the finish is ok or not? And what if the dealer is no longer selling that brand of paint protection (there are dozens)? Where do you go? If the finish has deteriorated somehow, will they re-paint it for you? A glib "just bring it back if there is a problem" from the salesman is meaningless. He may not even be working there when you come back...

Many RV inverter/chargers have an internal transfer switch that automatically switches stops the inverting when shore or generator power is available to it. Those that do not must be manually switched off or otherwise prevented from powering the same circuits that the generator will power. That would indeed cause damage. If it was a factory installation, odds are strong that you have the automatic switching inverter. If you identified the motohome make/model or the inverter make & model one of us could tell you for sure.

The digital maps are as much a problem as the GPS itself - sometimes they are just flat wrong, or incomplete, or not adequately described for optimal routing. Speed limit data is often out of date as well. I've been directed down roads that were closed 20 years previously, or are merely "goat tracks", never having been "improved". I know of three places where the routing takes you behind somebody's house on an out-of-date right-of-way (the real highway was moved years ago). At least TomTom makes it relatively easy to submit corrections (the GPS captures the data for upload) and each update gives the option of picking up corrections submitted by other users. I am always skeptical of a GPS generated route and try to at least familiarize myself with the main highways/streets in an area so I can tell if I'm being sent out of my way, and also to have alternatives in case the GPS nav gets me in trouble. Obsolete POI data is another peeve - far too often the Nav system either doesn't reconnize a place name or directs me to a defunct location. I have a TomTom XXL and two Garmins, a GVN 53 and a Nuvi 2595. Also a GM/Buick proprietary system in one of the cars. The Buick Nav system is pretty but not very capable.

I know my GVWR (34,600) and GCWR (46,600) and with a 5000 lb toad don't even come close to exceeding GCWR. My rear axle weight is very close to the 20,000 lb rear GAWR, but the front is 2000 lb under the 14,600 lb front GAWR. I haven't weighed it in 4-5 years now, so need to get an update.

Last year I replaced the carpet in mine (we stayed with carpet) and then helped a buddy put the luxury-grade Allure (called Allure Ultra) in his. Both came out well. We glued the Allure Ultra down, but I think a float would have worked as well. You end up with moldings on the slide lip anyway, whether glued or floating, and also around the stair well, joins to galley tile if you have that, etc. I've seen laminate nicely done on coaches too. In my opinion, the ones that I have seen with problems could are more attributable to sloppy wrkmanship rather than the type of product chosen. Be very careful with the resulting height vs the slides. A flush-floor slide may actually ride on the flooring (rollers or skids), or may glide just above it. Either way, the height is critical. Slides that aren't the flush floor type usually glide enough above the floor that there is no issue, but I wouldn't swear its that way in every brand/model of coach. Do a lot of studying beofre you start! In mine, the base of the bed does not move, even though the bed platform itself moves with the slide. Carpet just butts to the base of the bed.

The Dream was last made in 2003. It was above the Tradition and below the Eagle. In 2004 American redesigned the entire model line-up, dropping the Dream and moving the Tradition upscale. Prior to that, some might have rated a Dutch Star a Tradition, but from 2004 on I think that would be a tough argument. Of course, Newmar shuffled their model names/models around in that timeframe as well. Probably a pointless discussion anyway. Look them over and see what suits your likes & needs best.

LOL, Roger. I like your quip about balancing a cinder block! So true!

The operational instructions are in the Terrain's owner manual under Recreational Towing. Other than that, but a tow bar, base plates, and the aux braking unit of your choice (Brake Buddy, RVI, Brakemaster, Air Force One, or whatever suits your fancy). A buddy of mine has towed his Terrain for 3 years, and I've towed its big sister (GMC Acadia) for 8 years.

You will have multiple hot air ducts connected to the back side of the furnace. These have to be disconnected to remove it. May also have some brackets on that side. You need to be looking form inside the coach as well as outside.

It's normal that the air suspension receives no air until the minimum pressure for air brakes (60-70 psi) is reached. The air systems primary requirement is to provide air pressure to the brakes. Everything else is second or lower priority. The coach air compressor has a huge capacity, so it can usually produce enough air pressure to overcome anything but a huge leak. Leakage slows it down, but rarely stops the suspension from air up fully. I'm not familiar with your AUTO switch - there is no such thing on my American Coach (also a Fleetwood product). Mine just builds air pressure and brings systems online as sufficient air becomes available. Do you have to manually dump air to lower the chassis and deploying the jacks? Or maybe what I'm asking, is AUTO the opposite position from "DUMP"? Finding an fixing leaks is kind of an art. You don't especially need a Spartan chassis expert, but you do need somebody with some experience with air brakes and suspensions and knows how to test for air leaks.

The a/c blower is also 120v powered, so if the fan is running you have 120v power and the EMS should not be involved. Fan on but no compressor is often a problem with a failing hard start capacitor and its associated "run" module. At least, that's the first thing I would investigate. What brand and model is your EMS. Are we talking about the device that sheds loads to keep within a 30A power budget, or some other device. Thanks to some confusing product names from Progressive Industries, the acronym "EMS" is sometimes applied to shore power monitors instead of the load management type of unit, e.g. INtelletec.

A private owner in the state of Montana, or an LLC? Several companies consider an LLC to be commercial/business and won't handle thru their regular lines or brokers.. I ask because I have seen others speak of using Essex to insure anf finance when in Montana. Here's a couple brokers who claim to find financing for LLCs in Montana: http://www.seacoastmarinefinance.net/rvfinancing.html http://www.rvlendinggroup.com/motorhomes.aspx

There is no industry consensus that a tire is unsafe at 7 years, so there are no grounds to fault the dealer. Michelin says to replace at 10 even if appearance is OK, but to physically inspect every year after age 5 (see Michelin RV Tire Guide). A knowledgeable RV person would warn that tires do age and that the risk of a blow-out increases dramatically as the age approaches 10 years, but expecting a sales person to warn of a potential deal-breaker like that is expecting a lot. As long as there is no superficial problem (bulge, deep cracks, etc.), they are under no obligation to warn of things that are considered normal wear & tear. The product is used, and wear & tear commensurate with the age and mileage if to be expected.

An RV Autoformer costs abut $375 for the 30A model and $500 for the 50A version, so not horribly expensive. Weight is under 25 lbs, so no big deal there either. Under voltage is rarely a problem when using 50A service, but some older parks with 30A service and shabby wiring may have low voltage when demand gets high (e.g. when everybody's a/c is running). An autoformer can help then, but whether it is worth the cost is hard to say. We personally have not encountered low voltage often enough to worry about it, but my coach has a power monitoring system that would warn me, and shut power down, if there was a low voltage issue that was potentially damaging. If you buy a new Autoformer, it handle low voltage and also includes park power diagnostics and a degree of surge protection. With those additional functions included, you would not need a separate surge/monitor device when the Autoformer was in use. I don't know if the Autoformer product is as good a surge protector as units designed for that function, so see https://www.hughesautoformers.com/ if you want to research that further. Personally I would not bother to get one, but maybe if the parks we used often had low voltage power I would change my mind. It all depends on where you go.

If I understand correctly, the LP flame lights and presumably the fridge cools. Your problem is that the igniter keeps on sparking? That sounds like a problem with the controller board itself. If the controller did not know the flame was lit, it would soon (about 15 seconds) shut the gas valve off to prevent a gas leak explosion.

Once you have crud in the tank, you are going to go through a lot of filters until the crud gets all filtered out. The alternative is to have the tank cleaned and the fuel "polished" (filtered externally and returned to the newly cleaned tank). Adding more biocide or other chemicals doesn't get rid of the gunk in the tank and dead algae still accumulates in the filter and plugs it. Changing the second (engine) filter may help, but usually algae doesn't get past the primary. The secondary filter is there to trap the ultrafine stuff that gets through the primary, and crud in the fuel is rarely fine.

One of the insurer rate gimmicks is that they never change the insured value unless you ask, even though they are only going to pay out on the Actual cash (market Vale in most cases [Full Replacement coverage is a different matter, of course]. They could automatically adjust that every year if they wanted, but they don't. Therefore you need to ask the agent to do it every year at renewal time cause it often makes a substantial difference on the collision and comprehensive premiums.

To the best of my knowledge, the 2006 Equinox AWD is not towable 4-down and requires a flatbed trailer (not a dolly). Later years of Equinox had a different transmission and AWD system, but the early ones were not towable. Even the FWD equinox was not towable in 2006, but you could use a tow dolly with that model. The Equinox is not included in the FMCA Dinghy Tow Guide for 2006. Also, I checked the Remco web site and their listing agrees with what I remember, so am fairly confident I am right about this. http://www.remcoindustries.com/Towing/Store.php