wolfe10

Milha, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. The nearest "escape the heat in Texas" destination we have found is Angel Fire, NM. We spent last August there and did not turn on the A/C a single time. With an elevation of over 8,000 feet, the climate is GREAT. I just looked on the weather site I use and the high the next three days is 76 degrees F. Brett

Please understand that I am not recommending against any steering stabilizer or centering device, BUT in many cases people turn to these devices to mask alignment issues. Too little caster will cause wander, wheel lack of return to center, etc. So, please get alignment set to specs before doing anything else. Same applies to setting tire pressures based on actual weights-- that can make a real difference in how a vehicle tracks. Brett

Don, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. It is actually a little more complicated than that. Many coaches use gel-coated front and rear caps and a different material on the sides. The caps may be some/all chopper gun or may have some hand la-yups. Usually small gel coat cracks are the result of overly thick gel coat (gel coat is very hard, but brittle). Clearly, if there is flexing of the substrate deeper cracks can develop. I am not aware of any hand laid up side material. There are sure different grades though, ranging from Filon with exposed fibers visible to quality gel coated products. It sounds like your eye is "trained" to look. May start by looking at older coaches of the brand you are considering and then finding out from the manufacturer if they are still using the same materials/process. You can also ask questions here as you narrow down your search. Brett

No, ULSD is not available in Mexico at this time. And ULSD (15 PPM sulfur diesel) is required for all diesel engines build (not chassis or coach build date) after 1/1/07. There is no additive that will "correct for" the use of high sulfur diesel in a vehicle designed for ULSD. Brett

Don, Since these are wet cell batteries, if your charger or inverter charger has an equalization mode I would run that. I like to see the house disconnected while equalizing, as voltage can rise to over 15 VDC. Yes, on some coaches, your charger will not work with the battery disconnect switch in the OFF position. Doing this isolates all the PC boards on the coach from high voltage. The other option is to pull the fuses on the refrigerator, furnace(s) , water heater, etc. Equalize them and quite equalization when the SG stops rising. Re-test the batteries. Brett

No right or wrong answers here. Advantages of propane over gasoline: No worries about gasoline going bad and clogging carb jets-- i.e. the generator can be stored for much longer than a gasoline model with no fueling issues. Much cleaner burning fuel-- doesn't carbon the generator. Generator will have longer life than the same generator powered by gasoline. Does not require an additional fuel tank/source assuming you have a diesel powered coach. Disadvantage of propane over gasoline: Slightly less efficient (fewer BTU's per gallon)-- so it burns slightly more fuel. Questions you need to answer: How many hours do you intend to run the generator? What is the size of your propane tank? Most generator spec sheets give fuel consumption at both 1/2 and full throttle-- determine whether the consumption figures along with your propane tank size meet your needs. Do you camp in areas with propane available-- in many area, CG's sell propane. Most all Flying J's sell propane, etc? Brett

Since you will likely replace them based on AGE, not miles, make sure that they are not over 6 months old-- and newer than that is better. Last four digits of the code on the sidewall beginning with DOT.............. indicate the WEEK and YEAR of production. Example: DOT...............1110 were made the 11th week of 2010. Brett

George, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Hopefully, someone with that model will be able to help. But, many of the owners manuals for equipment ARE available: What chassis do you have? Information on engine, transmission, brakes, etc., is easily available and many of your questions can be answered here on the forum. Most appliances in your coach have owners manuals available, and many are online. Again, ask questions in the appropriate category. Only house and wiring diagrams are unique to a coach model. They share most components with other coaches. Brett

Ansy, Yes, as Bill said, the more information you can give us as what kind of things interest you, your wife, your daughter and particularly your grandchild the better we can advise. And how long do you have for the drive down and back in addition to the week in Branson? Brett

In Redmond, I will be moderating the Towing and Toad Brake Seminars, giving the Caterpillar Engine Maintenance and FMCA Forum Seminars (hope many of you will be able to attend the Forum Seminar-- a chance to put a face with a name) and serving on the "Ask the Expert" Seminar Panel. Brett

First, I am in total agreement with you that weight capacities need to be easily understood by consumers and "adequate for their intended purpose". And I have said this for many, many years. But, I don't think it is right to make a judgment on this particular coach/manufacturer based on the weights posted in the article. We all KNOW that either the numbers are incorrect or there is an easily correctable issue with the test coach. I am talking about moving well more than 2000 pounds from tag to drive axle. Most 30,000 pound drive/tag axles have a 20,000 pound drive axle and 10,000 pound tag axle. With the article listing tag axle actual weight AS MORE THAN the drive axle.... clearly something is amiss. Let's all wait for a response from Winnebago or a post with more realistic front/drive/tag axle distributions. THEN we can compliment or condemn. Brett

WOW! I am surprised that anyone would recommend towing a 3,700 pound vehicle without tow brakes. Particularly behind a smaller DP/smaller engine. The ISB clearly has less braking HP than larger engines, so even with a much lighter toad, I would suggest auxiliary brakes. Brett

Not sure how you would define "best". Best independent of cost: Deep cycle AGM batteries-- expensive, but accept a charge faster than wet cell batteries (less generator run time), do not require you to check water level (Absorbed Glass Mat construction), have a lower self-discharge rate, etc. I have used this technology in our sail boats and RV's for close to 20 years. This is the brand I use: http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/ Best performance/$ are golf cart batteries (6 volt deep cycle batteries wired in series to make 12 VDC batteries). There are 12 VDC deep cycle batteries available, but they are rare. Most you will find are "compromise" batteries-- marine starting AND deep cycle batteries. They are a second rate choice for deep cycle work, particularly dry camping as you do when compared with true deep cycle batteries.

Boy, that is a tough one. Without knowing whether you have the time, inclination and ability to do this yourself, I really can't tell you which way to go. I will tell you what would be involved if you want to do this yourself-- look it over and then decide if you want to do part or all of this yourself. First step is to check the water level in the batteries. Make sure they are filled to just below the ring in each cell. Then you need to fully charge the batteries (plug into shore power overnight and verify that the converter, charger or inverter/charger is working). A digital voltmeter will verify that they are being charged-- voltage should be 13.2-14.2 VDC at the batteries once batteries are no longer deeply discharged and depending on what converter or charger you have. Next, decide if you want to remove the batteries yourself for testing or take the coach to someone to do it. Either way, take a digital photo of how they are wired to make reassembly easier. Take the coach (or batteries if you remove them) by most any auto parts house that sells batteries and have them load test them-- generally for FREE. You might choose the store by what brand/size battery you want to replace them with if they do test bad. If going with pairs of 6 VDC deep cycle batteries (in series to make 12 VDC) be sure to check with local golf cart shops. Brett

Yes, many more motorhomes ride on Michelin than any other brand. Therefore more trouble free miles AND one would expect also more problems-- even if their reliability exceeds others. I am not suggesting which is best, but from a statistics standpoint one should look at failure rate/mile or failure rate/tire, not total number of failures. Were we to just consider total number of failures, a cheap Chinese tire that has only been imported for a year or two would WIN??? We have 151,000 miles on our coach, all on Michelin (third set because of age-- 17 1/2 year old coach) with zero failures and very seldom that I even have to add air. We are quite happy with Michelin. One of the secrets to any tire's longevity is that it is properly sized to carry the actual load (see my post above). A tire that is carrying 100% of its designed capacity WILL be more prone to failure than one sized with a safety reserve. And a corollary: if it is carrying its maximum capacity ANY PSI less than full PSI will have the tire operating under inflated/over loaded. One cost cutting measure at many chassis makers through the years is to spec a "barely adequately" sized tire. Save a few dollars times 6 tires on every chassis. THAT is why I suggested above verifying that you have a tire with some reserve capacity-- irrespective of brand. Brett

From the article: AS-TESTED WEIGHT (weighed with full water and fuel) front axle — 13,520 pounds; rear drive axle — 10,420 pounds; tag axle — 10,760 pounds; total — 34,700 pounds I would suggest that the tag axle is WAY mis-adjusted, causing the problem. Remember, taking weight on the tag removes weight from the drive axle AND ADDS WEIGHT TO THE FRONT AXLE. No way should the tag axle be carrying more (or even close to the same) weight as the drive axle. Yes, this should have been checked and adjusted at the Winnebago factory. Brett

Mikev, There is too much here that is coach specific in terms of tire to chassis and tire to coach clearance for me to be able to give advice. Hopefully, others with the same chassis and coach (you might post specific information on your chassis and coach, as others may have the same model or a different Monaco product on the same chassis) who can give you specific information. I would also ask this question of Monaco and of Source Engineering, as they may have first hand experience with this upgrade. Brett

Clinton, I am not familiar with the product, but a couple of cautions. Remember that it is attached to the very back of the coach WAY back of the rear axle. Any weight on the hitch will add a significantly larger amount of weight to the rear axle and remove weight from the front axle. Also, over bumps, with the hitch that far behind the rear axle, there will be a lot of vertical motion-- don't know how that well affect this carrier. Brett

A couple of cautions here (most of which I think you are aware of): Never put tires of different diameters on one side of a dual-- the "taller" tire will carry most of the weight. This means not only don't mix sizes, but also don't pair an old tire (less tread) with a new one (more tread). If you consider a different than OE tire, make sure that it is of the same load carrying capacity or higher than the original. Brett

Monaco should be able to get you a part number and/or the latch. Give them a call. Brett

John, A short mechanical question: How often do you lube your PacBrake (PacBrake sells a special high temp lube-- under $10 for enough to last the life of the coach): http://www.pacbrake.com/index.php?page=maintenance Brett

Don, There is no way your question can be answered WITHOUT fully charging them and THEN testing them. Said another way, there is no way to prove a fully discharged battery as good or bad. So, plug it in to shore power so your converter or inverter/charger can bring them to full state of charge (or start generator and charge from it until it can be moved to a site with shore power). It will take at least overnight to get them fully charged. If wet cell batteries, most reliable indicator is Specific Gravity which you check with a battery hydrometer (around $5 at any auto parts store). THEN determine if their life was just shortened or terminated. Brett

KYM, What size tire and what do you have on it now? Second question: Have you weighed the individual wheel positions (best) or axles and do the tires have extra capacity? Said another way, are your tires maxed out on what they can carry, or do you have some safety reserve? Also, when buying new tires, make sure they are NEW, because you will likely replace them due to age, not tread wear. The last 4 digits of the DOT number tell you the WEEK and YEAR the tires were made. Best to get them within 3 or 4 months of new. Brett

CONGRATULATIONS! Brett

Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Those do look very similar. But if not close enough, you might proceed along these lines: What brand coach? If they are still in business, that would be your first call. Another alternative would be an RV salvage yard. There are several threads with excellent lists here on the Forum. Just click on "Search" along the top of this page and type in "salvage". Brett