andyshane

I submit we're in the midst of "The Golden Age" for RV'ing. Virtually every aspect of the burgeoning US economy is riding in our favor. Money is cheaper than ever, people forget that. Heck, we paid 17% interest rates in the 1980s. I'd always envied my parents for their 4% VA loan, taken out in 1965. Lately, countless homeowners have refinanced for less than that. RV loans aren't too much more expensive. Gas is below historical averages, in terms of inflation-adjusted dollars. Check the price of gas against the minimum wage. Historically, 30 minutes of work bought you about one gallon of gas. Since we're in a period of lower than average minimum wage (about $16/hr in 2013 dollars, average, from 1937 to present), that would put gas at $8 per gallon. Easy to prove on your own, look it up yourselves. Again, we're talking averages, some people can cite paying more and others, less. Taxes are at an all-time low. If you don't believe me, simulate doing your income taxes at 1945, 1950 or 1960 rates. The results will amaze you. If that trifecta of conditions favorable to RV'ers isn't enough, used rig prices are still down from the depressed market of several years back. Oh, and the Dow has shattered records, which means your retirement investments are up. Oh yeh. Not that it directly affects RV'ers much, but the National Unemployment Rate has nearly returned to historical averages, and we're basking in an unusual break from inflation. 1990 Holiday Rambler Imperial, $103,758 MSRP ($185,667 in 2013 dollars) Pick a rig, compare its price in today's dollars. It's fun!

I have a 2013, it must be towed with a dolly. After driving it aboard, simply hit the OFF button and after strapping it is ready to roll. A great toad, 54 mpg is our avg, versus our rig's 6 mpg.

I finally gave up on Michelin via TCi in Fort Worth. The first batch that came in was over a year old. Then, my second order was simply forgotten. On the third stab, I was gratified to hear six tires which were six months old were being shipped. Then, the salesman added that the spin-balancing machine was out of order and "probably" be replaced by one from a failing store in a month or two... So, I'm calling around to locate a set of new Hankooks for my tag and drive axles. Thankfully, two new Michelins grace the steering axle.

A dentist buddy raves about his old Pace Arrow, I had a good experience with my diesel Excursion, a 2005 model. There is a oft-repeated rule of thumb: infrequent drivers pick gas, frequent drivers should opt for diesel. Check the NADA RV listings for model hierarchy, prices. Among the Pace Arrows, there are many different models and some variation in values. In this market, you should be able to get a pristine rig at the listed wholesale price. One in need of tires or batteries, or a rig that is not in showroom condition should sell for less.

Life imitates art, Larry! There's a new movie out about a guy who hires a "family" to accompany him on an RV drug-smuggling trip. It's called We're The Millers, and it is supposedly pretty bad. I couldn't help think of it, when you described your experience. If I may suggest, try introducing yourself before you look up the FMCA number. I imagine the encounters will become much more pleasant, for all parties involved.

We're closer to you guys: grey goes every two days, and black every four.

Gary, so sorry to hear. We're over at Pecan, watching this thread with intense interest, will convey it to new Beaver owners even nearer to you who also have a C13. You took it up to Holt Cat?

A brief followup: the city is struggling to control traffic, mitigate the fire danger by enforcing an outdoor smoking ban which has now been lifted, thanks to a week of rain. Now, they can focus on widening noise enforcement from relatively quiet tractor-trailers to the M60 machine gun-level open pipe cars, trucks and bikes that descend on the city like deafening locusts, each summer weekend. When I made the original post, I didn't understand that this battle has been ranging in various cities, and is the talk of the bike world. In fact, we're getting ready to do our 40th consecutive Myrtle Beach week next month, and that city has effectively fought against the tiny minority of car and cycle enthusiasts who try to drown out everyone else with engine noise. In the other forum, a member wisely counseled not to write off Ruidoso just because of a few miscreants; I can't help but agree. Along that line, we scoped out an impressive place, the Eagle Creek RV Resort outside of town, and are taking our business there, next time. That'll put us near Pena's Place, our favorite breakfast haunt, on the north side of town. If you visit on a weekend, get there early for Jimmy's world-famous eggs benedict. And, since both the park and Pena's are at the north end, it's easy to avoid getting your ear drums shattered by the Viagra-denied weekend pestilence terrorizing mid-town, downtown Ruidoso.

I just published this in another forum. We're visiting Ruidoso at the moment, and the traffic and noise really stands out, compared to other cities. Others have made the same complaint, a brief online search reveals. I contacted the Chamber of Commerce, and asked that they convey the information to the local government. Of course, such things affect the RV community. We don't need to spend money on fuel, provisions and campground reservations, only to discover that the destination leaves much to be desired. For years, the wife and I have visited Ruidoso with friends; this is our second trip in the motorhome. While there are many RV parks here, they tend to be relatively modest. One exciting development is a big hillside resort being built near the Best Western on Route 70. One thing we've noticed, is the slow onset of what is best described as "road anarchy" here. Ruidoso, like some other small towns scattered across the country, is becoming a haven bikers and off-roaders. Of those, there is a small minority for whom it is important to make the same level of noise inherent to a 747 on takeoff roll. Don't ask me why; my personal opinion is that it is loosely associated with dysfunction below the belt. Further, people are in a hurry, drive with their hair on fire. Signs that the community struggles with traffic calming are everywhere: speed bumps, special enforcement zones, flashing markers, the like. It is a war they are clearly losing, at the moment. The problem is severe enough to make us re-think our travel plans, as I conveyed to the Chamber of Commerce. They have a Facebook site, as do other towns' chambers and administrations. All of us can make ourselves known via that avenue, when we wish to praise or criticize our travel destinations. The Chamber immediately replied, and I assure them that I'm not just in the business of complaining; that my wife and I had played tennis for two hours at the same downtown spot that was shattered by explosions of noise all weekend, and that we didn't hear a single open-pipe or bypassed vehicle the entire time. 'Turns out, the village adopted uniform New Mexico traffic ordinances in 2010, and there is one that specifically forbids open-pipe operations. So, it's just a matter of refocusing enforcement efforts from being aimed at truckers to what the ordinance dictates: all vehicles are supposed to have functioning mufflers. As for the aggressive driving, Ruidoso has already exerted a large effort; they simply need to dial it up a bit, on weekends and during special events. FMCA members wishing to add their two cents' worth can visit the Chamber of Commerce page or the Ruidoso Police Department page, on Facebook.

I've heard more stories like this than ones with a satisfactory outcome. The industry as a whole is crying for an impartial rating system, to hold shoddy facilities accountable. Sorry you had to endure this experience.

Man, I'm watching this thread with interest. The tile are huge in mine, many are cracked. It is simply bad engineering, installing large tiles in motorhomes. How Beaver fell into that trap is beyond me.

Sure, the window awnings are the lesser concern, if installed, but their failure can wreak all kinds of havoc. I grabbed my iPad and shot a little clip for folks who have Bruster awnings, now that I've seen my biggest one fail two different ways, in the course of our first six months' ownership... The YouTube video is .

Super. I'll add a flush to that work order. It's working fine now (we just did an entire day, cruising with the genny supplying house AC), but your experience is worth its weight in gold

Thanks, Wilde Bill! Yeh, the overflow looks like harbor water despite the dealer's assurance that all "fluids and filters" were changed. It's on my list. My generator has a paper tag that flutters whenever the bay is open denoting exercise dates. My policy is every 30 days, twenty minutes. In the summer, that's no problem: Momma schedules monthly vacations in the rig, and I ain't rollin' down the highway without house AC running, full cold...

I posed notion of just replacing the steers at 5 years, running the drivers/tags for another year or so and replacing them incrementally. He said that was a bad choice.* His logic: that while a blowout in the rear is not likely to send you careening into oncoming traffic, it is likely to cause a lot of damage. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm on vacation now with 2006 Goodyears on the rear tires, brand-new Michelin XZE Energy tires on the steering wheels. New XZEs for the tag and drivers are on back-order. *Manufacturers' recommendations reign supreme, tempered by UV exposure history. I was running 2006 Goodyears with pristine sidewalls and 50% tread depth, which the company says are fine to keep, but my tire pro buddy didn't like. Goodyear won't give a specific age for recommending replacement; conventional wisdom is that the blowout rate in Goodyears leaps at the seven year point. They address the many factors that affect tire longevity HERE. Michelin, on the other hand, says tires can be used up to a decade if they are inspected annually after the first five years.

Oh, you stood by the net and tossed the ball up... pardon me for racing in and making the spike. Quite important, if the road is anything other than straight Okay, I hear what you're saying, faced the same thing with both our rigs. After seeing the news of a fatal Louisiana bowl game Fleetwood crash at the hands of a retired bus driver who sadly perished along with one of his many passengers, I said "Very." On my Beaver, the front axle bears 14,500 lbs of weight, I regard those two tires the same way NASA did the nozzles of the Space Shuttle. If you lavish care on one aspect of your rig, this is it, IMHO.

I dunno... is it less than $1,000 a can? Hey, timely discussion. My neighbor here at Port Aransas' Tropic Island Resort has a 3M shield on his otherise lovely Holiday Rambler; it is stained and crackled, reminds me of the Cistine Chapel. My bare nekkid Beaver nose looks factory-new by comparison, even with its dozen or so tiny rock chips. I'll opt for the once-every 60K miles nose repaint...

I use the Macbook Pro two and it works perfectly find.

A followup: both the supply fittings and the manifold arrived in the same truck, at noon today. The new supply fittings could be finger-tightened to a perfect seal; attaching each circuit was difficult only because I pried out each old gasket, replaced with new. We got onto the road by 3PM, the phone rang at 3:05. It was Louise, checking up on our progress. She'd also worried that we would opt to go on vacation by different means, and the manifold would end up sitting on the front porch for a week. That, my friends is top-shelf service!

I'd put checking up on my generator low on the maintenance priority list of our new-to-us coach. After all, the dealer in Tucson had assured me that "all fluids and filters" were freshly changed when we purchased the Beaver Patriot Thunder in January. Nonetheless, the generator started as if its battery were nearly dead. In fact, a few times, it turned so slowly I had to initiate a second start cycle. Then, it began shutting itself down 15 - 30 minutes into its operation. The fault code was the eclectic "36", derived from holding down the Stop switch and then reading the next two sequence of flashes: tens at first, and then second digit next. Following the Onan guidance (their manuals are available on line), I replaced the air filter and changed the oil. Neither seemed tragically overdue, but were dirty. The Hobbs meter says the unit as accumulated 264 hours in its seven-year lifetime. Well, I should've filmed a "before" start and an "after"! It runs like a brand-new unit! So, don't despair if your generator is sluggish. The problem might not be an inherent mechanical condition; instead, it might be the fault of improper routine maintenance.