skyking8

The original post is a month old and probably been solved by now. I add this only because everyone will need to replace wipers at some point. My MH baldes were an odd size not found in auto parts stores or places like Wal-Mart. Instead of paying twice the price thru an RV dealer for OEM blades, I decided to get a pair that were an inch shorter thru an auto parts store. I've gone thru three sets and they work perfectly. So if you find yourself in a similar situation, know that you don't have to buy the more expensive OEM blades nor do you have to go with the exact length. If they get rid of the rain on the part of the windshield that you are looking thru, then it's a match.

My son-in-law buys all of his company's heavy equipment tires from them. Just so happens that there is a Wingfoot about an hours drive from my home which is where I'm headed at the end of the month. Thanks Tbulter. I think I see light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, the current tires will get me to it.

The likelihood of a MH being stopped is slim. I've never been stopped. When law enforcement is stepping up enforcement as is mentioned in California, the chances of being sited would go up when one puts a bulleye on their forehead. That being two different plates, different driver's license, and other documents with various addresses. I think I'd pick a state that overall proved to be "tax friendly" (obviously antonyms) in other ways besides sales tax. One with no state income tax, lesser cost and ease of online registration of the vehcile, long term driver's licenses, and no property tax on the MH. I like to save money, but a sales tax is rolled into the loan payment and over twenty years might not be worth the trouble it takes to juggle all the balls and stay legal.

Wilson is a good company. I've bought many of their procucts for many years. But there is one annoying cell issue that I don't think anyone can fix with a gadget. It's dropped calls when one is in a "extended coverge" area. If I didn't know better, I'd think that competing cell companies make it a habit to kick opposing customers off line in the most annoying fashion.

Actually, I had not thought of the tread issue. What's worse neither of the two large tire dealers mentioned it either. This is really becoming a job. I spent a couple hours looking doing some research for tires online..mostly wasted time. Perhaps I need to contact a manufacturer's rep and discuss the issue with them. Who is out there besides GY and Michelin? Maybe someone can recommend a top notch tire dealer in the central US. Perhaps one that is a FMCA commercial member.

Getting some new tires for my rig is becoming a job. Current I have Michelin 275/80R22.5 all around. I only want to replace the front drive tires and one outside rear. I have found that size tire isn't all that common a stock item for a distributor even in Goodyear; not to mention that Michelin is $125 more per tire. Different manufacturer for the drive tires isn't an issue, but so as not to mix tires on the rear, I would be stuck buying a Michelin. I have a notion to just replace all six with something else that are less expensive. At a savings of $125/tire and a small trade-in allowance, it seems reasonable. I usually only drive 10K/year. Because of fender well clearance, I couldn't resize up, but could go down. I wonder how that would work? Has anyone else had this problem?

In the general scheme of things, this is way down on the important issues lists, but I was 'just wondering..." When one goes to add a website to their favorites list, what does the Name line come up with more than a few words to identify the site? I'm not singling out FMCA, it just so happened that I added it to favorites on a new computer. There are 18 total words that come up in the default name block. Since your favorites list is just a tool for a quick jump to a site, I don't think anyone adds a site to their favorites list without cutting the name down to one or two easily identified words.

As I visit campgrounds, I see more and more multi LNB portable antennas similar to the Dish Slimline. I am still successfully using the older style oval sat dish, but was wondering if there is a benefit to going with the newer parabolic type dish with three seperate LNBs. I do know that the new dishes provide HD signals, but that doesn't matter to me. When I need to use the portable dish in place of the King-Dome I've perfected my hunt for the signal time to just a few minutes using a high end signal generator. If the newer dishes make it easier than that, I'm all for it, but if not I'll stick with the present system. I have Dish Network. Please give me some opinions pro or con on this issue. Thanks.

pnixon> I wish that they were hydraulic. Then we wouldn't be having this discussion. They are electric, screw, greased type and I keep them greased. wolfe> Great suggestion about checking voltage at two places. If this isn't a bad battery issue then I could have a poor terminal connection somewhere. There are several aux wiring connections at several of the battery posts which could be an issue.the problem. Since I am on the subject of batteries I have another question that is kind of out of the box thinking. I have always wondered why Alfa put six batteries in this coach unless it was to power the large living room slide. I have little use for six batteries since I don't do much dry camping and I could always use the generator when dry camping. Most people get by with 2 or 4 even if they dry camp alot. So the question is, why not get a professional installation of only 2 or 4 batteries when I go to replace batteries?

The living room slide is large so I rarely move slides without shore power, but that hasn't helped much. Here is the scenario: 1- Using battery power only, the big slide moves only about a third of the way in and then stops. Being connected to shore power doesn't help. 2- It won't come in without stopping a couple times when on the generator. 3- If I leave the engine on and use the generator the slide will retract. 4. I don't have any other apparent issues with my other DC systems, but most of that is small current draw. Given those conditions, I just assumed that the batteries weren't putting out enough juice to move the large, heavy slide. I also assumed that the motor is working properly. I would think that it would either be good or bad. I'll buy a hydrometer and do some checking. I agree that if more than one is weak then I need to replace all. (altho my wallet doesn't agree). Appreciate the ideas and suggestions.

My six house batteries are almost 6 years old. I have maintained them well, but I've noticed that my slides are slowing down when operated only on battery power. I don't want to replace all six at once unless necessary. I was wondering how I can check their serviceability without taking them out. Even tho it would be a chore, I can disconnect the leads from each separately.

If 108 is the low side of the allowable 10% then 108 could be the limit for me, but a system designed to shut down at a certain voltage would preclude having to monitor volts everytime I turn something on. When a campground starts out as 112V, there isn't much that you can turn on without dropping below whatever limit it might be. Thanks for the info Wolfe and kingfr. I think I'm going to settle on 110V under load as a safeguard.

It's a known fact that low voltage can cause damage to applicances and electrical equipment, but I'm wondering how low does it need to go before that happens? I was recently in a campground where the voltage regularly dropped to 105. Common sense says that's a problem for appliances. If memory serves, the national electric code says 114 to 126 volts is standard for buildings and homes. I am also wondering how a campground can exist without complying with that code.

I can't find anything in the search mode for this issue. Skylights and vent covers are prone to cracking with age and can be a source of water leaks. I was wondering if there was a good product for coating them or even if that is a solution.

I agree about re-reading the original posting. As opposed to some of the responses, it didn't seem offensive to me. Good Sam's Club is in bed with Loves. I doubt that FMCA could work against that, but the suggestion to add another truck stop to the FMCA discount program is worthwhile. I recently contacted FJ to have my FMCA membership aligned with their Loyalty Card. I was told that I wouldn't be getting the 2 cents/gal discount that was advertised in the FMCA magazine. Hmmm? Using a debit card at any fuel stop negates the possibility of gaining the cashback percentage offered by many credit cards. For mine it's 5% which is a nice chunk off the price of diesel.

I am not one to take no for an answer until it is obvious to me that it is the correct one. I've looked at the suggestions of other posts within this forum, gone online, and made a few calls to glass companies. Two things stand out. It is a common and annoying problem for RVers. Fixing it isn't rocket science, but it does take special equipment. Apparently, if the glass panes can be seperated they can be cleaned and the gas can be replaced. The glass bead that bonds the two panels together must be seperated and then replaced. That is where the equipment comes into play. I found from my telephone calls that few facilities have this equipment. I suspect that they would rather sell a new window at twice the costs than fix two perfectly good pieces of glass. The fact that there are at least two companies that do this procedure (mentioned in the forums) would indicate that other ones might have the capability. One thing is for sure. The equipment to fix it does exist. The solution then is to find out who else could be added to the list of "fixers." The other thing that is apparent to me is that if it occurs on a regular basis with MH owners then the product is sub-standard. So, perhaps there is an alternative to the "standard" RV dual pane thermo window that is not prone to fogging. I personally have a problem with buying something that needs to be replaced for something other than normal wear and tear. The membership of this forum is unique in that they have come up with numerous methods to fix owner's problems that don't involve original equipment. Perhaps this is an issue for collective minds to solve.

I believe the Janurary issue of FMCA has that data.

Interesting topic since I was just online prior to this checking out prices of tires for a pending purchase. My current tires Michelins are almost 8 years old with 60K on them. Tread still good but side walls showing some deterioration. If I were a short trip week-ender I'd keep rolling on them, but I do lotsa highway speed miles. The other posts in this thread gives me an idea when I go visit dealers. I don't intend to have this rig for another 8 years so putting newly constructed tires on the rig isn't much of an issue. That said, I will expect a nice discount on an older tire (within reason) if the dealer wants to rotate his stock at my expense.

Before I get to my question, let me put in a personal plug for FMCA. Each year when membership renewal comes around I consider whether or not the expense can be justified. That mental routine is the same for any other product or service I would purchase. I have found that the one thing where I absolutely get my monies worth is having access to the technical topics on this website. I suspect that it has saved me way more than the cost of membership over the years. And if not, then it has certainly helped me be a more educated consumer in RV matters. Now to my question. I did a search of window fogging, but didn't find what I was looking for. It appears that the two windows that typically are prone to fogging are the entrance door and/or the driver's side window. First I wonder why those two? Perhaps knowing why would lead to preventative measures. I have replaced the door window - at some expense I might add - and now the driver's window is fogging. If it can't be cleaned, then I'm going to check out replacing that window with single pane glass. As I see it, the only concern would be getting a thickness that would fit the frame. The value of thermal pane windows as it pertains to insulation is negative when one considers the low R-value and air leaks in a MH and that I'm not paying the electric bill. Not only that, I could probably get a local glass shop to do the work somewhat cheaper. Has anyone swapped dual pane for single pane?

First let me apologize for not getting a timely reply to everyone's help. Shortly after posting I left for a remote location that barely had daylight much less internet connetion. The suggestion to do some research on batteries was a good one. I did that and found this website. http://www.batteryfaq.org/ There's a wealth of info here that applies to all vehicle battery situations. Checking the health of a battery by specific gravity was one of the tips that will be especially useful since I have six house batteries. Disconnecting and reconnection 17 cables from that bank of batteries would be a nightmare. Thanks for the help, guys.

I vote for the solonoid. In my coach (Alfa) it is located under the driver's side dash and it has also failed once. Dead batteries are possible, but one week of "parsitic" load is probably not enough to drain them. Be that as it may, it's a good idea to check to see if any of those are on (check the LED lights) after you use the disconnect switch. If they are, most of are easily unscrewed from the wall. Then you can disconnect the ground wire of each to kill the entire unit.

My new sat receiver is HDMI or S Video out, but the older digital TV only accepts FNC coax connections. Wonder if there is an adapter to get either the first two to adapt to a coax.

The TP route is farther, but I can make better time on it so it's a wash on ETE to Joplin and with only two booths it won't slow me down. Restrooms are a convenience if I were going to stop anyway. I'll save the 20 bucks using a famcamp. Thanks for the info.

I am looking for some info on the Oklahoma TP for an upcoming trip from TX to MO. I have read some unflattering articles on the web about the toll charges and lack of restroom facilities. I also wasn't able to determine the cost for 4 axles (rig and tow) from Oklahoma City to Joplin, MO using their own website without trying to piece together all of the different exits. And if there are half dozen toll booths on that stretch that will slow me down, I might as well head off on a red road thru the southeast side of the state. Does anyone have any info on the subject?

I think vehicle safety is a two way street – no pun intended. But I would think that the one who is in danger of getting run over should be proactive. We use a flat LED light clipped to the back of our pant’s pocket when we walk at night. Now if we can educate all of those clueless people who walk down the middle of the lanes in the Wal-Mart parking lot, I’d be happy.