hermanmullins

Well said Tom. I had a friend that bought a travel trailer, $18,000.00. On his first trip he said "well that trip cost us $18,000.00 but on his second trip he said "well that trip only cost $9,000.00. You can see where this is going. Buying a motor home is an investment in a life style. I don't mean to be brash but if your only thought is how much can I get for my unit in the future you arn't going to have much enjoyment with your purchase. Everyone looks up in December, January, and February and thinks this is a lot of money to spend each month for something sitting in storage. But come spring and you go out for the first time you think now this is what it is all about. An RV be it a popup or a motor home it is an investment although is deprecates in value it's return in memories is worth more then gold. Buy what you can afford. "DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY"

Jimpat & Wayne. This happened to one of our Lone Star Members. While at a rally last year I got an email like this. What was real funny (!!!!!!) was that I had just had coffee with the gentleman that was suposed to be in Africa and had been talking about his hijacked address. I asked him if I could just give him a check then or did I have to wait until he got back to Africa. Regards and Happy RVing

Tom, I was thinking that when I cut the cabinet down that I would leave the top portion the full size and just stain the bare side. How does that sound?

The MG braking system has a very simple theory. All braking systems that apply pressure to the brake pedel all have one big problem. Have you ever tried to stop your vehicle (with power brakes) with out the engine running. Next to impossiable. I had a long talk with the inventor of the MG unit. The braking unit is a small cylinder that is placed between the power brake booster and the master cylinder. When you apply your brake in the coach it applys the same pressure on the master cylinder. When you are ready to tow all you have to do is plug in your air hose and safty line. There is nothing to pick up put in between the seat and pedel and to plug into a power sorce. You do not have to pull any fuses nor have to worry about the unit shifting and appling pressure to the pedel and burning out your brakes and possiable fire. When I had the MG system installed on my Yukon XL the cost was quoted to be $1208.00. The young man that was making the installation asked if I would like a remanufactured unit for $875.00. The differance was the new unit has a lifetime warrenty where the remanf. unit only has a 5 years warrenty. I opped for the 5 yr. They had me out of their shop (in Athens, TX) in less then an hour. As you can see I would make a good spokesman for them. Check them out.

I saw a TV bracket at Sam's. It was $49.xx. However as Brett said I would be careful mounting a TV on a movable bracket without having it well secured. I can understand wanting to be able to move the TV for servicing and ease of mounting but again, be sure to be able to secure it from moving when in transit.

Two words. "Truck Stop." Most all larger truck stops have accessories, check them out. They sell them in sets of 4 or 5 caps.

Gary, If you haven't made up your mind on a braking system, check out M&G Engineering. They have a air braking system that is so simple and easy to use. It has a brake away system next to none. http://www.m-gengineering.com/ Good luck on going full time.

Measure the width of your cabinet. Then go to Sam's or Walmart and check out the width of their TV's. Then you will know how big you can go. I wouldn't mount it on a swinging bracket unless you have a method to secure it while in transit. If you have space on either side of your current cabinet, measure how wide you can go with a new unit. Our Monaco has a center cabinet that I am going to cut down before I mount our new Flat screen TV. Our current TV is a 27". I am going to be able to mount a 32" with no problems. I am going to cut down the depth by 12 inches and use most of the current frame . Good luck on making the switch.

So Paul, do you like our warm weather? Compared to Ohio it isn't too cold . However it is 35 degrees here in the DFW area. But I will take that anyday over white outs and snow on the ground for several months. So WELCOME to TEXAS and warm weather. Oh yea, Merry Christmas.

Tools. Both American & Metric. Put them in a good tool box in an easy location to get to. It never fail that when we are at a rally, someone will have a problem and one of us can and will come to the rescue. Brett is correct. Extras of lots of items are good to have on hand. Relays, Belts Hoses (and clamps), Duct Tape and WD40. If it moves and shouldn't use the Duct Tape. If it should move and doesn't use the WD40. Old but true. Always , if you can, be aware of where you are going and what kind of service may or may not be avaliable. Happy RVing.

Graybeard, None of us should have a spare tire. It is bad for your health, causing high blood pressure, diabeties, shortness of breath and a aray of other problems.

We have a 400HP ISL. Never had the blowby as discribed here. I did have loss of power and white smoke. (another story). It has been discussed that you need to extend the tube and put it in a better location aka outboard rather then center. My question is, could a small canister be made so as to catch the blowby and not allow it to flow into the air? Just a thought.

Well Bob in Ohio, welcome. It is good to know what great service you had. If you didn't please write Gary a note thanking him for the service he gave you. Everyone feels good when they are noticed for the work they do. Have fun on the West Coast.

Troy, Tom is right. Figure what up grades you would like. Then figure how much your payment on another MH would be. Take the differece between your current payments and subtract it from what a new payment would be. Set aside that much each month til you have enough for one up date. Then begin to save for the next up grade and so on. In a short time you will have an upgraded coach and not increased your payments. New RV loans are not for as long as they were. And besides you have already paid a lot of intrest on your current coach.

Right again. How about Turtle Wax? I have used it on old cars and it does a nice job at removing the oxcidation and I don't think it is too abrasive. Maybe there is someone out there that has had this material painted. I have heard different stories about how much it cost to paint an RV. It doesn't sound cheap. How about one of those places that makes graphics. They could cover it with what ever you want.

I looked up some 1987 GB MHs and found that corrugated is not a good discription for the panels. Ribbed would be a better word. The bottom portion of the MH has vertical ribs in the FG. That being said go to your local Boat dealer. Check with their parts and or detail person. When they prepare a FG boat for resale they can really bring out the sparkle. I know there are FG cleaners and restorers on the market. But once cleaned it must be kept cleaned and waxed or the oxidation will return (rather quickly). Hope this is some help. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

woodlodge, welcome to the Forum. I see that you have a gas coach and I assume it is on a Workhorse Chassis. Hence Hydraulic Brakes. Your residue might be brake fluid or a front seal. Check your brake fluid level if it is low look for some type of leak. If fluid is OK look closely at the front seal. By you doing your own greasing you might be capable of changing out the seal yourself. This will give you a chance to clean inspect (replace if needed) your wheel bearings and seals. (Both sides). But who knows, a dog might have relieved himself on the wheel and the residue is road film. Good Luck,

As a Navy Vet, I have always understood that the President is our Comander-in-Cheif. I have not always liked that person but do respect the office. This is the first time in my 73 years that I find it hard to keep that respect. I think that most everyone that reads this forum has served their country at some time and beleive that most feel the same as I. GOD Bless America and GOD Bless our Troops!

Tom, we have had two Monacos. I like to look at the Fuse and relay panel found in front of the front drivers wheel. Everything is soo perfect. Them look under the dash panel. Every wire is 2 to 3 feet long,except the one you need. That is the one that is so short you can barely move it. Spagetti is the perfect word for it. Director, if your switch is like mine it is just inside the dash, like Tom said, and is easy to remove. To pull the pin(knob) there is a button on the side of the switch. Press the button then try to pull the pin out. Don't get frustrated, it will come out. Then remove the nut on the face of the dash and the switch will be loose and you can remove it. Make the wire locations and take the switch to your parts house to match it with a new one. By the way, look at the back of your switch and check the reostate(?). Check and see if there might be some corrosion. This might be your only problem. GOOD LUCK, and Happy Travels Herman

Brett, Thanks I have printed both and will review them tonight. Herman

Tom, we are talking about a retired Marine. Do they have these forms that read real slow?

Brett, How about a little lesson on the DEF for diesel engines. I for one don't know much about this new technology. I am sure there other in the same boat as myself. Thanks in advance.

What is that great quote about Great Minds. All good ideas. Semper Fi, Hu Raw, and Anchors Away to ALL.

Just carry a lot of hanging cloths so that they can't sway back and forth. I have traveled for many years (by car) in my job. My cloths rod in the back of my SUV let my cloths slide back and forth both blocking my rear view and droping them. I have done several things: I have put rubber rings on the rod in several places so the hangers can more very little. I have put rubber bands on the rod for the same purpose. I have seen plastic tubes that are ribbed that go over the rod for the purpose of stopping the hangers from sliding. A bungee cord pulled tight over the rod might hold the hangers from jumping off also. Good luck and keep your clothes on (the rod).

Great explanation on the wiring. Brett, if this member is having both the house and the coach batteries going dead, it seems there has to be some sort of drag on them and his inverter is not keeping up or not working. If there is something dragging down both batteries down he might also have a bad isolator. The only thing on should be the radio/clock. When we had a drag on the battery (years ago) we would pull the fuse for the radio & clock. Remove the positive cable and jump between the post & cable. If it shows voltage, begin to remove fuses one at a time until the voltage drops to zero. Check what that fuse powers and correct the problem. I like the idea of checking to voltage without power to the coach and then with power to see if the inverter is charging.