wildebill308

You made me think and I had to smile because if I remember right the only places that had any FMCA discounts also had PassPort America and I will take the 50% discount every time. Got a slow start this year, I think we are on track to hit 30+ campgrounds. Bill

Debra, welcome to the forum. Unfortunately it might be hard to find a place this late in the year. Can you park in your driveway? That is a good way to get some experience and keep a list of what you forgot to pack. Some of the members that live in that area may be by with more information. Bill

Welcome to the forum. Glad you were able to fix your problem. Bill

Wayne, sorry it is just my several years in aircraft maintenance and manufacturing coming out. Bill

Tom, welcome to the forum. Yes that is the hard part with a lot of RV projects. Bill

I am kind of embarrassed for all the techs that do a good job after watching the guy in the video. "just pull back the seal and spray and hope you got the lube where it was needed." I would recommend using an inspection mirror to see where you are spraying. The spray I recommend also works great on the pivot points on the towbar and the pins or any wear point. Bill

Are you pumping the brakes (on the Ford Explorer) 4 or 5 times with the engine off before you start to tow? Bill

The first discount I look for is Passport America 50% off beats 10% every time. I think FMCA could do a much better job of promoting itself to campgrounds. Maybe a better discount say 15%. Maybe a nice prize to the campground and employee that does the best job. They ( the campground) could offer membership applications to those who arn't members but want to take advantage of the discount. At the very least a counter display of FMCA information. Signage in the office promoting FMCA and how we now embrace all types of RVs. Bill

Back on subject. David, I am having a hard time thinking about winterising. Yes we had a big cold front come through, you should get it tomorrow, but it only dropped the temps to low 60s. Bill

Rayin, So sorry to hear about your wife. Hopefully with your good care she will be able to travel next year. Bill

I would read the owner's manual. I don't know of a manufacturer that doesn't say you should be level or nearly level before operating slides. The same with the absorption refrigerator. Jacks just make it easier. You can do the same with leveling blocks or boards but it may take longer. Bill

Michael, welcome to the forum. Yes dry Teflon lube will work but I have found John Deere Super Lube Synthetic Dri-Film Lubricant Spray does seem to last longer and lube better. It is a dry film colloid. Bill

You might find some of this info helpful, it is from an earlier post. Here are some tools to help you plan your trip. RV Parky is a good tool to find places to stay and plan route. http://www.rvparky.com/ Gas Buddy You can download it from your app store. Find cheap gas and you can record your gas/fuel expenses. You can look ahead and see what the prices are where you are headed . It helps plan fuel stops. RV park reviews is a good tool to see what other people think about a place. http://www.rvparkreviews.com/ NPS you can look up things to see/points of interest. https://www.nps.gov/index.htm You can also see what campgrounds are available in the different parks. Also look at getting a pass and if you are 62 or older definitely get a Senior Pass it is a $100.00 Lifetime pass that covers everyone in your car. https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm You may have to wait till you get to your first park they have a great way to record the parks you have been to. It is called a Passport, you buy it in the visitor’s center, it kind of looks like a Passport but you add stickers and stamp the date and time you were at the park. One other thing you need is get a Passport America discount card. This is a tool to help campgrounds fill empty spots during the week or slow times. Each campground sets the time and discount but most times it is 50% and some places 3-4 days. We saved about $450.00 last year. I think I got my $44.00 back. http://www.passport-america.com/ For navigation, I highly recommend CoPilot. We have used it for several years and it does a great job. The big benefit is you can down load maps when you have Wi-Fi and it doesn’t use data. I have it on the phones and on my tablet. The tablet gives a bigger picture to see and follow. I like Yelp when on the road to see what places there are and to get reviews, see menus. Who wants to drive 2000 miles to eat the same fast food stuff you have at home. Oh Ranger, is a park locator for those hidden gems like Antelope Island in the great Salt Lake. Rest Stops, is a good app. You might look at the apps for all the big truck stops Pilot Flying J, Loves, or get the ALLSTAYS Big Truck Stops. Bill

Glad you got it working and Thanks For the feedback. Bill

wer2lucky, welcome to the forum. Like Brett said, make your desires known to the dealer. Bill

John D, welcome to the forum. Just a guess but check the TPS switch. It is the master throttle control. When the accelerator cable is working, it moves the butterfly shaft in the Air Horn. On the opposite side of the Airhorn is the TPS switch. The butterfly shaft moves the internals of the TPS and the change in electric values makes the gas increase and the spark advance and many other controls work. The TPS switch is easy to change and not very expensive. Make sure you get the one for the V-10 as the electric values may be different for the V-8 Bill

Welcome to the forum. There is a KOA with pull throughs. I don't know about WIFI but service from Amazon should be quick as they have a fulfilment center across the street. Eagle Tree RV Park has some pull throughs to. Bill

That is absolutely the way it should be. Bill

I used a Acme Tow Dolly for a couple of years. The new ramps are nice. I have never seen a Acme dolly that you couldn't move the winches. Take a fairley big hammer say a 16oz ball peen and a block of wood and see if you can't drift the winches sideways. Use the block to protect the base of the winch. They may be stuck because of the paint. They use to be removable if you removed the bolt at the end of the track. Here is a link to one of their instruction videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoizMRJ6aUo Let me know if they move. Bill

Then Ithink you should shut the phone off and just go. I am sure you will have a interesting time.

Here are some tools I use when looking for a place to stay. http://www.rvparky.com/ http://www.rvparkreviews.com/ https://www.nps.gov/index.htm One of the best tools is once you find a place, use your phone to call and ask questions and see of they have an opening. Bill

Al, I think you are correct. Look at page 45 for information on measuring Dual Spacing. https://www.michelinb2b.com/wps/b2bcontent/ZIP/PLNA/Michelin_Truck_Tire_Service_Manual.pdf Bill

Welcome to the forum. I would do what Wolfe suggested. and try to find a factory approved installer. Bill

Where do you think they get the dimensions to do the comparison? I will bet the difference is no more than the manufactuers dimensional tolerances. If you are going to make big statements like that you need to show me that the differences are, well enough to make a difference. Bill

I hate to tell people what they should spend their money on, well not really. What I will say is at the rally I was at last week we had a little round table discussion of tech problems. I was surprised how many were having problems with the coaches that needed DEF. One member had sold his diesel coach to buy a gas coach that didn't need DEF and he wouldn't have to deal with the problems of using DEF. So I would look at buying something pre DEF and pre exhaust filter. I would say this buying a newer coach WILL NOT guarantee you won't have similar problems to what you are having right now. You could have even more problems. Buying motorhomes is not like buying cars. Buying newer doesn't seen buying problem free. Yes I wish all motorhomes were made as well as my Honda but they are made more like a Yugo. Bill