andyshane

We noticed the other day that our clamshell that covers the retracted topper on the full-length slideout was not fully closed. It appears that the massively long roller has a mid-section gutter in which it rests and freely rotates. Imagine a telephone pole, mounted to the corner of the rooftop, and you've got an accurate image, similar weight. Well, getting to a position where the dislodged roller can be remounted is not that easy. I'll array some photos later to show how it can be safely done. In the nutshell, there is a spline clip strip of extruded aluminum equal to the length of the slideout that must be telescopically extracted, and the cover itself must be extracted the same way. Nothing in this process lifts up to remove: it is all withdrawn, like a thirty-five foot telescoping curtain rod. So, multiple ladders and helpers are needed to keep each piece from bending and breaking. I'm lucky to have a scissors lift in my shop, and I clamped a 16' rail atop it to load the removed cover. The endcaps are typical: a 3/8" ratchet is needed to carefully unwind the spring, a screwdriver can be used to pin the center section as tension is slowly let out. Remember to clamp or safety-wire the ends, since the spring also pushes outward. At issue is the ten foot long midsection gutter on our rig, necessary due to the length and weight (about 200 lbs) of the roller. When the gutter sags (the twenty or so mounting screws were jarred loose because the wrong size had been installed by Beaver), the roller can spill out and lock up the entire assembly. I honestly don't feel there is much chance of that lethal item traveling end-over-end down the road, since many design safeguards to keep it on the RV are in place. This is yet another example of "timebombs" built into 2005-2009 Monaco products by disgruntled or lazy personnel, in my opinion. It is like playing Whack A Mole, dealing with issues that seem to stem from a faulty assembly line environment.

The new Beaver doesn't seem to have this problem, with its side-mounted radiator. Big difference.

Hilarious! I learned something new, will reciprocate. KayCee and I were in your position 2 1/2 years ago, albeit starting RV'ing as an alternative to staying in pet-friendly hotels while doing dog competitions. Unlike you, we wanted to start small to determine if we'd even like being alone in an RV for extended periods of time. I mean, it isn't for everybody. We were going to cut our teeth on a 30-some foot gasser first, then upgrade. Along the way, my wife's tastes got pricier and then our neighbors discovered they couldn't sell their RV. After they bought a Newell. We rode to their rescue, and went from knowing nothing to rolling down the road in a 40 diesel pusher, in a flash. One pearl I can offer (other than not including the Hash gig in the Teamwork/Followership block of your EPR), is to think about the value-added aspect of buying used. If you get a new coach, that $300K should purchase you about $360K of RV (buyers are paying at least 20% under invoice, normally). Within five years, your lovely home will ring in at about $180K. Plus, that first year of ownership normally involves lots of break-in challenges, trips to the dealer, and maybe even a couple of trips to the factory itself. If you buy a 2 or 3 year old unit that has been carefully maintained, that process will be finished and your $300K might buy a $500K coach. Better yet, get the one that MSRP'd for $360K for $210K and invest the remainder for a rainy day. I have mixed feelings about driver training. You can read your way through most of it, give it time to sink in. Getting the appropriate license in itself is part of a decent orientation program for stepping up to the bigger vehicle. Here in Texas, I'll guess that 85% of RV owners are driving on the wrong license. I'd fill that square ASAP, before you're swamped in the challenges of learning a new RV. Really, long discussions with RVers and maybe a mall/church/school parking lot stint with a friend who owns a DP might be as helpful as trying to drink from the proverbial firehose during a short comprehensive course. The wife and I bought a dozen orange rubber cones and murdured many in several sessions spent practicing in a school parking lot. My wife and I joined a convoy of friends for our first trip, they helped us navigate our first KOA after a three-hour state highway journey together. The act of driving seems to boil down to a few simple basics: stabilize in the middle of the lane and develop a sense for the space you take up by watching other vehicles. Remember that all turns are squared, meaning that you're cognizant of where both of your back corners are. A hard 90 degree right in traffic is the most challenging; there will be times when you either stop until that guy in the left turn lane backs up, or you opt for aborting the turn and going either straight ahead or left. Be mindful of clearance top, side, bottom. And, allow room for starting and stopping. As a newbie, restrict your driving environment. Start out daylight only, no heavy traffic, no city driving. Heck, you can do a whole vacation inside those three parameters. Read up on how to set and use mirrors, how to work as a team when backing into sites. We even extend slideouts as a team. And, we treat the act of anyone other than the two of us offering marshalling/directions as a high risk venture to be avoided. One recent trip, I resisted a staff member's impatient waving for me to keep turning, coming into a site. Unbeknownst to him, he was trying to talk me into creaming a golf cart that was hidden from his view. Take everything slowly, and use your partner. I'm generally the one outdoors in the elements, the wife does all the delicate maneuvering. The most critical hand signal is "Stop!" Everything else is icing on the proverbial cake. If my hand signals fail altogether, I raise a single index finger and make a slow circle. That's a manual reversion of sorts: she mirrors my motion with the wheel, so that in essense I'm operating the rig by remote control. We also use checklists. Both our former Fleetwood Excursion and the current Beaver Patriot Thunder have 39 items to complete after the manufacturer's pre-trip chassis check, before being in motion. There. That's pretty much it. Now, there will be a tsunami of other stuff, like pre-trip planning, checking systems, tracking maintenance, using a truckers' atlas, avoidance of night docking at first, learning not to make spontaneous diversions from your planned route, etc. But, no driving instructor can cover all of that. You'll scrape a street sign, maybe settle the steps onto a rock, drag the belly, or pull a lake that's formed atop a slideout into the coach with you. There are a million lil' gotchas, reading people's accounts of experiencing them is about the only way to learn aside from having it happen in person. You've probably already begun watching truckers' techniques, and have maybe ridden with an experienced RV'er. As you drive your car, ponder what you'd do with three times the stopping distance and a 25 foot wheelbase, an 8 1/2' width not counting mirrors. Get in the habit of looking for low-hanging wires, overpasses less than 14', tree limbs. I'd say habit pattern formation reigns supreme. Best of luck. Make sure you share the details of this great adventure with your FMCA friends!

I'm not sayin' a word 'til I hear more about the name

Source: HWH Front Left Jack Leaking Fluid Well, the jury is in, and the accused is already swinging in the wind... I'll post the film of removing the jack leg from the rig later; for now, we'll skip straight to the end. In the shop, I heated the top bolt on the leg -- it weighs about 45 lbs -- used the impact wrench to extract the 6" long bolt. After allowing the entire cylinder to drain, I manually pulled on the foot and out came the rod. About a foot or so... Then, it hung up. I pulled harder, and a huge gouge from what appears to be a bolt or pin came into view. At that point, the operation is over, says Power Gear. A complete replacement is my only option. I'm hoping that the hyperextension was coincidental: perhaps a piece of debris rode up and down during previous uses and only became a factor when the jack was pulled out in its entirety, That would explain the multiple scratches on the leg. Nonetheless, I still recommend extending jacks as little as possible, wipe those rods clean and keep them lubricated every few days.

This is a timely post. I'm minutes away from dealing with the same problem. Will blog what I discover. So far, Power Gear has said to examine the jack prior to making the decision to order a seal kit. I'm not sure what to read into that, but we'll pull 'er off and do some exploration... Update (Also in my blog): Repairing the leg is not going to happen, I'm sorry to say. I filmed the removal, put it in the shop vice and began taking the jack apart. Upon manually extending the leg, there was a crunch as we neared full extension, I forced it into view and the ugliest gouge you've ever seen became visible. Chances are, a bit of metal or a bolt/pin has been riding in the leg harmlessly, until I ran it to full length therefore forcing the debris into the lower seal. Or, the twist might've broken off something at the upper end of the rod and it failed immediately. In either case, the leg is worthless. Full replacement is required.

We're at the end of our first thirty days' ownership of a new Beaver Patriot Thunder, and the learning curve remains steep. Compounding our problem is the dealership's failure to locate our manuals: they were removed from the rig when the Silverleaf system was installed, and somehow became misplaced. Were it not for online resources, I'd be lost. But, I'm chugging along, learning many lessons from the coach, online resources and fellow Monaco/Beaver/Navistar owners. The highlights: Leveling systems are not created equal. The Beaver utilizes a dual mode arrangement that has a Valid Technologies touchpad, Power Gear hydraulics. When I hyper-extended the left rear leg to lift the bus off a jackstand onto which it had settled, I popped a seal in the leg. Ever since, it has dripped fluid. Worse, it doesn't send the computer an "Up" signal; the alarms persist during the first few minutes of driving and system logic is boogered up, even though operations are possible with only air-leveling. Utilities bundled for the purpose of linking a kitchen slideout to the main coach are fertile grounds for leaks and shorts. Inspection of those areas should be made periodically. Tag wheel tires suffer indignities others don't. Small divots out of the tread are to be expected, don't necessarily compromise the safety of the tire. Remember to raise your tag axle when making sharp turns. Full-length slideouts are tricky business. Visually confirm perfect sychronization between the ends of the slideout when extending and retracting. Do you know how to manually retract slideouts? Every owner should. Power reels depend on operators ensuring the hose/cord are wiped clean during retraction. The health of the reel depends on that simple act. Our Beaver suffers silently with a loss of shore power. A popped circuit breaker in the garage could spell drained batteries in the RV. Each time I enter and exit, and after I run heavy loads on the same circuit, I glance at the Silver Leaf DC POWER screen to make sure the inverter is powering (recharging) the battery and not vice versa. Few owners follow manufacturers' maintenance guidelines. Ostensibly, our new rig was sufficiently cared for, but many lubrication points in the chassis look like they've been untouched, in the coach's five year life. Use your nose. We noticed a diesel smell in the bedroom en route. 'Turns out, someone had dragged the tail, torn the exhaust pipe open. That's a big safety item. Use your ears. I detected a faint clanging from under the driver's seat while driving down the road. The generator's long cantilevered exhaust pipe had, via lever action, loosened the bolts securing the exhaust to the generator manifold. A HUGE safety item, potential carbon monoxide poisoning threat. According to my tire expert, all truck tires represent an imminent blowout risk at ten years of age. He looked at mine, with their pristine tread and perfect sidewalls, dated late 2005 and pronounced them overdue for replacement. Not just the steering tires, but ALL of them.

I just had this problem. Someone suggested it might be low fluid level, ie the reservoir is at its lowest upon full extension. Cold temps, dirt, lack of lubrication could all be factors, too. Good luck. I hope you have a happier ending than us: I pull the leg tomorrow for repack <sigh>

Having just upgraded to a tag-axle rig, I happily ordered a set of extra sensors from Daryl and Cheri at Lawrence Electronics Sales. They sell TireTraker TPMS for RVs. I've had great luck with the product; and, when I called to order a new sensor after a catastrophic dolly tire failure launched one into orbit (it faithfully transmitted the loss back to the receiver as it headed off on its one-way doomed flight), Daryl wouldn't hear of me paying. I protested, saying there was no way he in any way was responsible for an arbitrary tire failure, but he held firm (for the tires' manufacturer, Carlisle, it was a different matter). The icing on the cake: after submitting today's order, I held my breath as shipping and handling was calculated. Such is the fashion nowadays, with vendors gouging the dickens out of customers after they've already committed... Are you ready for this? USPS standard delivery, packed and shipped, for $2.95. Now, some two years after my initial purchase, I like my TireTraker system; but I LOVE Lawrence Electronics Sales. Kudos to Daryl and Cheri! Followup: I got a personal note from Daryl, in addition to my emailed receipt. It is SUNDAY. They have a customer for life.

I had a full set of fogged windows in my 2005 Fleetwood. It seems to be epidemic among Hehr windows installed in the mid-2000s. To me, they didn't seem effectively sealed: two square seals that eventually seperated, allowed moisture in.

I just switched from no tag to a tag axle and drove the latter 1,000 miles. Frankly, there is little difference between the two rigs. I found the Fleetwood Excursion to be delightfully stable, like mounted on rails. Our Patriot Thunder is similarly stable; the difference seems to be in the vertical: perhaps due in part to the heavier aft end, the Thunder gently "bobs" its head galloping down the highway. An interesting footnote: my wife, who is a 50% driver and our preferred harbor pilot (with me marshalling from outdoors), swears that the Beaver has less body sway. Is that a function of the tag? I don't know. As evidence, she says reading without becoming nauseous, while impossible in the Fleetwood, is no problem in the Beaver. To be fair, I've driven a Prevost, a Revolution and a variety of Monacos with tags and thought they were much more stable than the non-tags driven during the same period. Still, if a tag comes with the bus you like, go for it. In the grand scheme of things the slightly lower gas mileage and maintenance costs pale compared to the overall price of ownership.

Great question. Who knows? She actually is planning to sell this one, get another. After driving 2,000 miles to take delivery and spending 50+ manhours working on the RV, I'm sure having trouble wrapping my head around the idea. But, I'll keep heaping on TLC, whether it's for the two of us, or for a stranger.

I'm living this, as we speak. First, I found that someone in the past (we bought the rig two weeks ago) had dragged the back end and caused separation of the tailpipe upstream of the muffler. Plus, it is a little more sooty around the hatchway seams. I've pulled the hatchways and retaped them (use aluminum air conditioning ducting tape only) after carefully degreasing them and wiping the metallic surface with denatured alcohol. And I've repaired the exhaust. This is a PhD level exercise, I'd suggest leaving it to the pros. In fact, having the torn corrugated exhaust ducting replaced is on my to-do list, even though I've reshaped and bonded the OEM part. Last, we're watching the dryer flapper as a possible culprit. On our rig, it is directly above the exhaust. (Also, two open screw holes from the laundry bay into the engine compartment needed to be filled. But, I don't believe that was a factor in our case, even with the exhaust leak, eg they are two tiny 1/8" openings...) Brett came up with an excellent idea, that of maintaining positive pressure. We were prepared to put aftermarket fairings on our fans so that they can function rolling down the highway; but, in light of his observation, that might being our undoing! Thanks, Brett. Let's keep each other advised of the outcome, maybe we can help others avoid having soot ingress...

Two years ago, I responded to my wife's comments that having an RV might be a nice alternative to searching for pet-friendly hotels as we attended dog obedience rallies. I mean, nothing against La Quinta -- they have a universal pet-friendly stance -- but hotels located in the vicinity of such events are afflicted with noise, puddles, and lawns strewn with doggie bombs. To make a long story mercifully short, our initial rig candidates fell short of her requirements: the shower was too small, the decor too ancient, the smell too musky. Eventually, we'd tripled our initial budget of $20,000; when friends were panicked because a second buyer for their bus failed to qualify for a loan after our friends' purchase of a Newell, we wrote them a check and became the proud owners of a 2005 Fleetwood Excursion. My wife was largely indifferent, convinced initially that we'd overspent and could never extract even a fraction of the rig's value, in terms of convenience and usage. Then, something curious happened: she fell in love with RVing. Suddenly, the RV wasn't just a tool for attending shows. She planned camping trips, visits to family and friends. Along with fellow dog show aficionados, we started doing weekend escapes to local parks and attractions. Together, we discovered the art of outdoor cooking, thanks to a well-timed state park seminar on the subject and became involved in that. As the wife learned more about RVs, she also learned ours didn't have everything she wanted. Eventually, she formed a list of requirements, like basement trays with attendant pass-through storage, an enclosed bath, electric basement door locks, quieter air conditioning. Oh. AquaHot came onto her radar, and she added it to the list. Well, readers, we all know the league into which she was migrating and its cost, eh? I'd created a monster, and it... er, she was combing dealership and sites for candidates. We did afternoon field trips to dealers, test-drove rigs, pored over NADA values, built spreadsheets. Attending the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, we made a rainy afternoon trip to the local dealer and almost put money down on a showroom stalwart, an unsold two-year-old Winnebago Tour. Then came the rumors of my airline employer filing for bankruptcy, and the whole upgrade notion was put on Hold. Fast forward to Autumn, 2012 and the bankrupt airline was coming back to life, having "renegotiated" its vendor and employee contracts. The wife's research swung back into motion, culminating in a call to me after I emerged from a training simulator period and drove back to the tidy RV park where my alternative to flight academy lodging was parked. "I put money down on a new bus," she ominously announced. Two days later, we were hitching a ride to Tucson, crammed into a row in the back of Coach. I was doubtful: after all, she'd gotten a trade-in credit for our pristine but high mileage Fleetwood equal to NADA Retail, and the new Beaver Patriot Thunder was less than wholesale. A host of scenarios bounced around in my head. To my surprise, the Beaver was a good candidate. Most of its flaws were cosmetic, and I happily declared it suitable to buy, after careful inspectiion and a brief test drive. Two days later, we were driving our Fleetwood across the American Southwest, to make the exchange. Like any new purchase, there have been bumps in the road; but, for the most part, I'm happy with the outcome now that the new bus is wedged inside our hangar (we live in an air park community, have small planes). In two weeks, I've adjusted the full-length slideout, soundproofed the cockpit, repaired the exhaust pipe that was damaged by the previous owner and somehow escaped notice when the dealer's mechanics inspected the underside. ================================================== So, what does all of this have to do with praising the FMCA? Well, during the course of learning about RVing during our Fleetwood days, I spent a lot of time on a larger forum similar to that of FMCA. So much time, in fact, that by March of last year, I was designated as a Senior Member, and I'd amassed 647 posts to my credit. Sadly, as the 2012 campaign season swung into gear, so did the occurence of political rhetoric on what, like our own forum here at the FMCA, was by design a politics-free zone. Both forums, this one and the FMCA, are deemed politics-free zones. At that forum, however, a secondary problem became evident: moderators seemed to be enforcing community rules according to political leaning. Specifically, gripes against one party were ignored; but, members who responded in protest were held in violation of the rules. When I pointed this out, I was deemed in violation for "questioning moderators' decisions," itself a violation. I terminated my membership, erased the forum from my Bookmarks. Not wishing to function as an owner without the expertise of fellow RV'ers, I came to the FMCA. Cautiously, I might add: I put every controversial term I could think of into our Search window, scoured the site for signs that similar activity was taking place, here. Nothing. FMCA simply didn't suffer from the same problem. Or, if it did, the staff had erased it seamlessly and invisibly, out of sight. Either was good enough for me. Two weeks ago, I received an unsolicited email from the staff at the other site, inviting me to renew my account. My response to them was nothing less than scathing. There was silence, but a week later, I received a sticker and renewal card in the mail. Someone had, without saying a word, given me a complimentary year of membership and re-opened my account. Rather than criticize, I accepted the gesture and resumed my blog there, assuring readers that each would receive my utmost respect; in short, that the bullying of the past would not be tolerated so long as I was there. After all, it is incumbent upon each person of any forum to uphold the rules, treat all members with civility, right? Let me just block-copy and paste what happened next. For privacy, I've obscured the administrator's indentifying data. Back in the Saddle, but Cautiously Posted 02-06-2013 at 08:54 PM by XXXXX(me) Updated Yesterday at 06:12 PM by XXXXX (overstepping boundaries) A few of you might've noticed that I suddenly left XXXX a year ago, and have become active in the FMCA. After kindly receiving a sticker unsolicited in the mail, I've discovered that my old account has been reactivated. I've devoted 15 minutes to scouring the forums for the problems that prompted me to leave in the first place, and have found all to be in order. In fact, new features at the site will probably keep Community Rules violations to a minimum; if nothing else, members are now free to block offending forums and users. Warmest thanks to all the members who found me at FMCA and online, I appreciate your friendship and encouragement. Don't ask me how, but we manage at FMCA to have a nearly zero rate of visible violations of forum community standards. Possibly, the smaller size makes effective moderation easier; too, there seems to be perfect standardization, eg equal application of guidelines across the membership spectrum. There, like here, we have a handful of experts who could probably build a motorhome by hand. I'm truly humbled by the level of knowledge, talent, out there. That said, I'll ease back in the XXXX pool one toe at a time. [moderator edit]. That said, let me tell you about our latest adventure: I was just finishing a routine airline school -- the first year I've actually camped, near the flight academy -- and the wife called to say she'd traded our RV for another! Considering the fact that the dealer, whose facility is 1,000 miles away, offered us Retail and accepted Wholesale for theirs made me suspicious. One of you had mentioned such a scenario; the wife was transferring basement items into the new bus when hubby came storming out of the sales office, having been told the dealership needed to "reconsider" their trade-in value. My lawyer wife was on top of it: she drafted a contract for the dealer to sign, saying that if they found our rig to be unsatisfactory, they would pay for our diesel both ways. Then, we jumped on a flight, inspected the rig. It turned out to be in good condition, mostly minor complaints. She'd found a 2007 Patriot Thunder, and I saw much potential in the coach. The next day, we packed up and drove our Fleetwood to the dealer. I was thrilled that they loved our coach. With 100,000 miles on it, many dealers were reluctant to give even close to Wholesale for it, sight unseen. The high point of the experience was when the salesman called three days later, having driven the Fleetwood. "I've sold these all my life," he said. "And, I have never seen anything like this! It is like a new bus." He then asked if I'd be the maintenance manager for the entire dealership. That was nice. So, I'm wrapping up thirty or so hours of working on our new bus: the exhaust system got overhauled, I soundproofed the cockpit. The kitchen slideout drain hose had a drip, so that pipe got replaced and is ready to rebundle. I'd noticed that the full-length slide is slightly unsychronized, so with the help of the manufacturer, I've got it humming like a Swiss watch. The whole engine bay is open -- to do that the bedroom closet frame must be disassembled -- and I'll overhaul the insulation back there and apply undercoating. Funny, but the tag axle doesn't seem to make much difference. The Fleetwood ran so smoothly, quietly, and was immune to winds. Of course, the Patriot Thunder is bigger, and she weighs almost twice as much. But, at first blush the two buses cruise about the same. Backing into the garage is a whole different experience in the Beaver, whose awning casings on both sides broaden the rig nearly a foot. KayCee says the Beaver sways less, I contend that it "bobs" more. Noise is a big difference. Both have the same cockpit noise level; but, moving aft in the Beaver results in a swift reduction in noise. The bedrooms are dramatically quieter: the Beaver's lack of big windows and integral steel roll cage tempts me to nap back there, en route. I'm sure we'll enjoy many great adventures in this big coach: it is certainly a step up. Like the Beaver, XXXX has tremendous potential but is a little harder to keep on track. I hope both remain part of my RV'ing future. Regards, Andy, aka XXXXXX Now, here is the email I received revealing the "banned" content and explaining why it was deemed inappropriate. XXXXX Community Administrator The following section has been removed from your blog: Quote: All the while, making sure that everyone here is treated politely and with respect; as long as I'm here, no one will have community standards enforced differently than anyone else, from the newest member to the most senior moderator. We welcome you back; however, you are not in a position nor have the authority to be making such a statement. It is the responsibility of our Moderators & Administrators to interpret & enforce our Community Rules, not yours. If you have an issue with a member's post or suspect violation of our Community Rules, please use the report post button. Thank you, XXXX- I'll let you derive your own lessons from this. Except for one: no matter your position in any online community, each participant shoulders the burden for upholding community standards and for extending kindness and respect to every other member of that community. I am guessing that one thing instrumental to the success of the FMCA forums is that we each make the commitment I stated.

I didn't realize this problem is so common in cars, and I've been putting up with it for two weeks. The switch has four speed settings; nothing happens until High is selected. In the course of troubleshooting, I erroneously decided the switch was at fault using a multimeter, and found a replacement at the local Napa store for $20. You can already guess: the problem persists with the new switch. That pretty much narrows the search down to the blower motor resistor; but, finding it has been a challenge. I introduced the problem at iRV2 last night, and a fine guy immediately proposed l look atop the plenum, sent a photo. Well, Beaver owners, there is a challenge here: our Canadian friends have wedged the connector against the underside of the dash. Then, to compound the difficulty, someone has encased my resistor pack in a huge mass of expanding foam. Has anyone done this procedure? Any tips? As the repair progresses, I'll post news so that future owners can be spared the spooling up I've endured... The AC unit was made by Specific Climate Systems of Fort Worth, amazingly. Not fifteen miles away, as the crow flies. However, they have apparently gone out of business.

We're in the first week of ownership of a 2007 Beaver Patriot Thunder. Lots of small problems, most of the flaws in the coach are purely cosmetic. Until today. We were showing friends the coach, I'd pulled it out into the sunshine and opened the slideouts. In one basement, there was a puddle of water. Strange, since I'd been in the basement several times in the last week and it had been dry. Here is the painful part: the puddle and dripping wires right above it were directly under the toilet! I mopped up the water (about 1/4 cup) with a paper towel, and recalled which plumbing items I'd just used. There'd been just one: the kitchen sink. I blotted up the leakage and gave it a sniff: fresh water. Then, I stretched out dry towels and ran some water through the sink. Sure enough, the towels were again wet. Tracing back along the supply and drain lines with a flashlight, I saw all was dry and snug. The dry lines check progressed along the kitchen cabinet, all the way to the sliding wall section at the end of the slide. Unfastening the moving panel with the help of a friend, we looked into the cluttered area where bundles of electrical lines, the sink drain, and hot & cold water lines all form a graceful loop that plays out when the slide is extended. My buddy dabbed his fingers in dark wet dirt in the bottom of the bay and held them aloft: "there's your problem, it's wet." Indeed, the drain line was wet, probably leaking from where black PVC was joined with white reinforced rubber tubing. We congratulated ourselves and rejoined others in our party. Later, after he and his wife had left, I shined a light on the area. The "dirt" was hundreds of black pellets, each 3/8" long and the diameter of a Cheerio. Oh, oh... I immediately called him, told him to wash his hands and not chew his nails. What took up lodging in that crowded space between kitchen and bath must've been a huge rodent. No signs of hair, nesting debris or extensive damage, just guano. Now, the million dollar question is, did this visitor gnaw into the drain line in search of water? Replacing the tube will be a bugger-bear, further exploration will determine what work is needed. I've been all over this coach with a fine-toothed comb, not a speck of insect or rodent droppings anywhere else. This one caught me by surprise. Take a look at your enclosed spaces, see if you have visitors. Places where they might gain access to water might merit extra attention. Update: I'll post a photo of what I discovered in our album HERE. In short, the "rodent" I suspected was working on the Beaver assembly line. Before bundling the fresh water, drain, and multiple electrical conduits that comprise the "loop" adjacent to our kitchen slide, he/she oriented every hose clamp so that the sharp edges pushed against the underside of our kitchen sink drain hose. A worm-drive clamp tail was the first to completely penetrate the doomed hose, this time-bomb took 12,000 miles of vibration to activate. It is not hard (about thirty minutes' work) to expose the loop and cut away all the zip ties holding it together. If your rig is similarly booby-trapped, the time it takes to discover this time-release failure might be worthwhile. Now, I am removing the damaged section of hose, splicing in a replacement. You betcher bippy my plumbing will be wrapped in some type of anti-chafe cushion material.

I can't seem to find the reference, but I recall that the cold inflation value in the manufacturer's tables for your tires is based on servicing them at 60F. In general, colder results in lower pressure at a rate of 1PSI per 10 degrees F. Let's say your chart calls for 105PSI and you're inflating the tires when it's 40F. Theoretically, you'd want to service them to 103PSI. Of course, in real life, you can hardly see 2PSI on the gage... To recap lots of prior discussions: Use the real weight as the rig is normally operated to find the right pressure, never the placard weight limit inside the rig. Those weights are the maximum for which the rig is certified, and the tires may or may correspond to those presently installed. Ideally, each wheel is weighed independently, since some folks load their RVs unequally. For most of us, the truck stop scales (they give you weights per axle) are good enough. Read the inflation chart from the tire manufacturer carefully. Some use axle-end weight, others us individual wheel weight in their charts. The chart values are usually optimum generally, not minimum. Even so, jump to the next higher weight, if on the border between two values. Some people add 5PSI in case they drive after some air has bled/leaked. No harm in that, an individual choice. If you've read the chart wrong and have a lower pressure than needed, the tire will run hot, ie over 120-130F. Adding air will cool the tire's running temp (can be scanned with a $20 IR temp gage). Remember, the tires running in the shade will trend cool, the sunny side ones, warm. The 105PSI value sounds a little high for the Expedition. Higher pressure (up to the DOT sidewall maximum, which is only used to inflate towable tires) should'd hurt. It will just give you a rough ride, shrink the contact patch. Since the Expedition should carry almost exactly 2/3 of its weight on the duals, front and rear tires should be loaded about the same and thus need the same pressure. This is not true of many RVs.

I'm not sure how the commercial guys are doing it; but, we seemed to have arrested both the creeping and fogging by insetting the seal 1/16" and then applying a ribbon of glazing sealant around the edges. This causes some additional drag on the sliders, but some finesse creating a smooth bead of caulk followed by several days' curing does the trick. We did another window yesterday, on the kitchen table listening to music. It is perfect, crystal clear. Yes, most of us don't have the combination of facilities, tools, skills to do this; but, for a fair percentage of owners it is an option whose direct cost is under $20 per window. [Tools: Single edge blades, leather gloves, safety glasses, latex gloves, box cutter, heat gun, Denatured Alcohol, plasitc scraper, square tip for screwdriver, caulk, aerosol glass cleaner, an old teeshirt, pony bottle of Argon and a cheap regulator, aquarium tubing, roll of window seal, foam weatherstripping tape. Skill required is about the same as replacing a radiator hose, installing a screen door, etc.] This and other photos are at a Google Album I've put up to give buyers additional pictures.