garyejones

To me, the best card for diesel is available from Pentagon Federal Credit Union. The PenFed card only works if you pay at the pump, but it offers a 5% discount on all fuel (diesel and gasoline purchases paid at the pump). At $4.00 a gallon, that means that your discount is 20 cents a gallon.To get a PenFed card, you have to have either a savings account or a checking account with them, however their minimums are $10.00 in the account. I have made those deposits which are small price to pay for the big discount. I now buy all diesel and gas using that PenFed card. I often get a rebate of $40 to $50 a month on my fuel purchases. My wife and I both have cards. I also own a Pilot Flying J card. You do not need to be part of Prevost to get that card. You can apply for it on-line. I have stopped using it because it offers half the discount, and I have found that all the professional TRUCK PLAZAS to currently be priced 10 or more cents above the price of automobile diesel oriented places. The problem with the latter are questions about how easy the access and egress are to the pumps (I pull a toad), volume of diesel pumped (freshness), and the amount of diesel I need (as the car diesel nozzles are much smaller and therefore time to pump 100 gallons substantially longer than at a truck oriented pump. Virtually all of them have a credit card upcharge of at least 10 cents per gallon which has to be evaluated against all the other factors. I also use the iPhone app for GasBuddy and have found that one of my most useful apps. I reasearch prices with GasBuddy and then use Google Maps in the satellite mode to examine the filling station to see if I can get into it and back out of it when I am towing my Honda. Gary

Let me try to clear up terminology. My rig has no mud flap directly behind the tag axle or the drive axle. What it has is a full length rubber and stainless steel flap that runs from one side to the other side that has the name Monaco engraved or painted on it. The flap is heavy and I cant tell if it will fly back horizontal as I drive at speed or stay vertical. It is suspended from the frame and it is located about midway from the tag axle wheel to the end of the coach. There is nothing to keep it from "sailing" horizontal and I dont know if it will do that or say vertical. The distance from the tag to the end of the coach is so far that I think that it would prevent any "thrown" rocks or debris from hitting the toad, but I had not considered that a stone thrown from the tire, and hitting the Monaco signature flap could still bounce around and end up hitting the toad and so I was trying to add some extra protection to the toad.... There have been few replies, so maybe most owners pull their toad with no additiional protection and don't have problems. We are going to take our first trips soon pulling the toad. Thanks for the comments Gary

Thanks for the information. I wonder if the stone guard on the very back is something that you constructed or added to your coach or if it is a commercial product that you bought and added? The brand new toad will be my wife's car when we are not RVing and I dont want to beat the heck out of it prematurely, both for its potential resale value and simply because she and I dont like to drive anything that isn't well cared for, so keeping it as undamaged as we can is our goal. I am still looking at all options... If you can, please tell me about your rear-mounted rock guard. Thanks up front Gary

Yes, my question applies to wheel chocks that would go in front or behind wheels to keep the motorhome from rolling back or forward. I am new to air brakes and thought that if you were parked on a steep incline, that the chocks would be an appropriate safety feature. I did drive a semi 35 years ago and I used them on tractors and trailers on steep grades, and was not sure if they were wise or needed on my RV. I appreciate your comments and experience...... always eager to learn from someone who has more experience than I..... Gary

I am new to motorhoming, but recently bought a 2001 Monaco Dynasty Tag Diesel Pusher. I assume that a good set of stackable or "collapsible" wheel chocks is probably a good idea to have on board. However, I don't really know for sure. I would appreciate knowing the issues from some of you more experienced owners. Is this a good idea, mandatory, or irrelevant, and if you think they are needed, do you have a recommendation on types that are good, take the least apace in the basement, etc. I appreciate your views in advance. Gary 2001 Dynasty Tag / Honda CR-V

I am brand new to RVing. I bought a 2001 Monaco Dynasty tag axle diesel pusher. I have recently bought a Honda CR-V toad. My rig came with a Demco Aluminator tow bar. My Dynasty has a full length Monaco mud flap behind the tag axle and my visual inspection indicates that there should be very little possibility of the tag axle throwing stones directly at the paint of my Honda, but debris on the road could certainly still be a problem. I have seen additional shields on the tow bars advertised and other "systems" on the toad itself. I could use some knowledge gained from experience here. Those of you who routinely do this, what are your recommendations. My Honda is brand new and want to keep it a pristine as I can. If you think it is essential to have additional protection, and have experience with a particular system, I would appreciate your recommendation. Thanks Gary 2001 Monaco Dynasty tag / Honda CR-V

I am wondering who RV dealers refer to when they are determining wholesale, low retail and high retail other than NADA. What other organization provides dealer value estimates for RVs?