kaypsmith

I use nitrile gloves instead of those cheap latex gloves. L.O.L

That is a nasty place and break. How old is the tow bar, and was there an previous damage to the unit?

I use a residential fridge, been using about four years now. I chose a 19 cubic foot 3 door Samsung because of the low amperage draw (3.9) max. This was next to the lowest on the market at that time, LG had one that was rated at (3.5), but Samsung was my choice because at that time I had modified sine wave inverter, the Samsung even stated that it would run on MSW. I live on a pretty bumpy road, about one quarter mile of bumps, and I park the bus at home, make about 25 exits per year. Although I never turn the fridge off, my inverter is on an ATS, as well as the generator on one also, and when I arrive home it is plugged in, or when arriving at a campground, therefore I can't attest to the turning off for prolonged periods. But the unit pulls very little draw. Good luck with the change if you do so, I personally will never go back to an absorption type fridge. Kay

Op says "bar broke at attach point where dual attach bars at the IV hitch", I think that means at the hitch end next to coach. For converting those pictures so that they will upload, if using windows, just load them into paint, there is a converter there. I'm reasonably sure that Macintosh will have a similar program. Happy holidays to all, Kay

When towing the car, is the tow bar parallel with the road below it, ie. if you measure down from the front of the tow bar, then at the back of the tow bar? Be sure the toad and the coach is on a fairly level parking lot or roadway while measuring. If it is not very near the same measurement, it can cause serious damage to the toad. Here is a link which is worthwhile reading "http://blueoxexpress.com/resources/tow-physics.html". Unlike a trailer with two wheels, or even a tandem axle, as tandems have the suspension to accommodate for a slight unevenness. Good luck in the future with this toad. Kay

Yep, the Honda inverter/generator (there are other brands available), is a different breed of generator with sine wave technology. It produces electricity at a varying frequency allowing the motor to turn at varying speeds. This allows the motor to run slower for smaller current demand and rev's up to a higher rpm when more current is called for. In turn the inverter portion of the generator changes the frequency to 60 cycles/hertz at 110 volts in a pure sine wave which is a much cleaner waveform for your electronic equipment. The older technology requires that constant rpm on the motor be maintained to maintain the 60 cycles required for equipment in U.S. devices to run correctly. This is why the older style generator is louder than the inverter style. Same technology is now being implemented in some newer air conditioning systems which works in reverse of the generator, 60 cycles is inverted to a higher frequency and varied to actually slow the motors for quieter operation, and increase the speed for higher demand, thereby increasing efficiency and lowering current demand. Also there are 12 volt dc chargers available for charging your laptop batteries http://www.powerstream.com/ADC-p006.htm, I use one, this allows me to recharge my laptop without ever cranking a generator, just plug into a 12 volt power outlet in the coach or car. What a wonderful world we live in! Happy holidays, Kay

aldebruijn, Glad to reply, please note that the gel cell batteries that I quoted are 1200 amp hours each, which are paralleled together for a total of 3600 amps, this is about eight times as many amps storage as your four 6 volt golf cart batteries. I have worked in the computer industry for 32 years and have many connections with communication services, which has enabled me to be able to acquire these monster batteries at a fairly reasonable cost, new they cost $800.00 each, but cell companies replace them every year as a regular maintenance item, and I have been fortunate to get some at a reasonable cost. Unfortunately the party that I have acquired them from in the past, passed away earlier this year. I have been using the units for two years now, and have hopes of using them at least six more. To answer the question about charging them, most of the newer inverter/chargers have a setting for gel cell, so yes you do have to use special charging means, and solar panel controllers with the correct settings are an excellent means of charging them. Incidentally, the 12 volt units that I use weigh 114# each. Hope that you can upgrade your system to make it what you like soon. By the way, if you have room and can stand the extra weight, just adding four more of what you have alone will double the time before discharging, or at least probably put the drain to sixty or sixty five percent for the same period of time, thereby increasing the battery life significantly, it will take longer to bring them back to full with your current equipment. But will be the least expensive upgrade for a short term fix. Happy holidays, Kay

I was not referring to autostart on the ac generator, as I referred to a 12 volt (dc) generator. This is a very small unit and can be placed outside the building, covered of course to prevent rain damage to generator. My coach is a 24 volt unit, therefore I use 24 volt dc generator. This unit is designed to be used in conjunction with solar panels which in turn charge a bank of batteries that in turn power a 120 volt inverter. If the sun is not shining enough on some days, and of course at night, the generator will serve to keep the battery bank sufficient to run the inverter. It is a very small and very quiet generator because it is slow turning. As Herman mentions, if you disconnect the battery terminals the batteries will maintain a charge for a much longer time, unless there are faulty cell/cells in any of the batteries.

REMOTE LP GAS TANK FILL (If Equipped) The LP gas tank is located between the chassis frame rails. The remote fill is located at the rear passenger side luggage compartment. 09-1 page from the 2005 endeavor manual. Here is link for the entire owners manual, you will find it very helpful. You will need Adobe pdf reader loaded on your computer to read it. I suggest printing it out and keeping in the rv for anytime reference, total 98 pages, have plenty of paper, also save it and store in your document library on your computer. http://fleetwoodrv.com/partsandservice/manuals/2005_providence.pdf Good luck learning the new unit and happy travels, Kay

How far away from an entry door or window which wires can be run for solar to help keep them charged? Also, there is a 12 volt generator with auto start that senses your batteries, and if they fall below whatever percentage you set it for will start up and bring to full load, it starts off of your batteries, so there is no other battery to maintain. Kay

From 275 to 305 is a pretty substantial increase in tire width, about 1.25 inches. You didn't say what height but 75 to 75 will about 1.5 inches to diameter, nearly 4.75 circumference. That is a lot of added size, the motor should be able to handle that, but clearances would be my main concern in changing that drastically. take into consideration width alone could cause tire kissing on the duals, not a good idea at all, could cause premature tire failure. I do agree that replacing 11 year old is to your best interest. Hopefully tireman9 will read your post. His advice on this topic will be interesting and very informative. Also a call to Fleetwood to check their maximum recommend for your unit will be in your best interest. Happy Holidays and motoring, Kay

My last coach was a Sportscoach with an 8.9 Cummins, much older than yours, it used a serpentine belt for ac only. The tensioner on it was a GMC style self tensioner, behind the pulley there was a hex shaped hub that you put a wrench on and twist to relieve tension. May not be your style, a quick look will tell.

If you look inside the fridge at the spec tag, you can check the maximum amp draw. Many reefers are too high amp draw to use in your situation. I do not recommend anything more than four (4) amps if it is going to be used on inverter. There are several makes and models that fall into this category. LG has a 3 door model that draws 3.5, my Samsung draws 3.9, I use 3 12 volt 1200 amp gel cell batteries with a 3000 watt inverter no solar panels. I can run the fridge, lights, and tv for 48 hours without recharging. Please inform us what brand reefer and what the amp draw is. By the way, you will find that generally, the 3 door models "the one that has the freezer on the bottom", are the most energy efficient. Happy holidays, Kay

The stall mats cut nicely with a sharp utility knife, I cut several large enough to go under the duals (18X22), then several (12X18) for singles, when stacked they work as levelers very well. The biggest point I was making is that if the ground is not level enough that the drive axle is lifted off the ground, and it is the only parking brake on the coach, there is a possibility for the unit to try to move, if this occurs, you can damage the levelers, and it is a funny feeling if you are in the coach when this occurs. My bus manual warns to only jack the bus with the jack under the axle that is to be lifted, and shops that lift this type equipment are equipped with wheel jacks that have a cradle that the entire tire rest in, and when lifted, a jackstand that is rated to take the load is always placed under the axle. My tag has an air valve for the air bags on the tags that must be left open before lifting the drive axle, this to keep extra load off of the tag bags. Happy Holidays to all, Kay

Yes the wood is good, have seen post by tireman9, even cardboard, or several sheets of newspaper is better than nothing for longer periods of stay.

As Ernie said, the drive axle is the only parking brake. If the site is too unlevel to park without lifting tires off the ground, I always carry enough leveling blocks to bring the coach to nearly level, dump the air bags then use the leveling jacks to finish leveling, and for stability purposes. By the way, I carry some rubber pads that I cut out of a horse stall mat, at least one is placed under each tire so that I can back up on, the final foot or so. This keeps the tires off the ground, or pavement. If sitting long periods of time, the minerals/chemicals in dissimilar surfaces can/will cause an adverse affect on the tires.

http://desertfuels.com/industry-education/unbranded-vs-branded-gas-stations/ Here is an article that is worth reading, not to be confused with the op, but might help to understand why the sign appeared. The station where you filled, may not have ties with Shell for diesel products, and were covering themselves.

I use a generous amount of Dawn dishwashing liquid as regular maintenance item down the drain of the shower and the kitchen sink, cuts grease and soap scum buildup, it won't do anything for hair, so I use an item called the claw for hair. The dish liquid is much gentler on the tanks and the probes for measuring liquid in the tanks.

Very few campgrounds that can not accommodate a 42 foot, a few more that can.t a 45'er. Tag axles are not a problem on most units, although I have heard of a few on some lesser expensive brand/models that have had some problems with cracked frame members, again, "cheaper" models. If you ever drive a rig with tags, you probably would be unhappy with a rig without them. I own a converted bus that is called a 40 foot in the bus industry, but would be called a 41.5 in the motorhome industry, because stem to stern is 41.5. When making reservations, I refer to it as a forty foot. Some national parks will not allow it, but they don't allow 40 foot motorhomes either. Yes there is an extra expense for two more tires that will need to be budgeted, but the extra comfort and handling stability justifies that for me. You also have braking ability of two more wheels, another plus. Welcome to the forum and happy hunting, Kay

Once you have cleaned the area as Brett suggested, then as a regular campsite breakdown if is dry while breaking down, the blower as Joe suggests is a very good idea. I use one of those cheap small blowers that Joe suggested, I keep some lightweight pvc pipe and fittings that are placed on the nozzle of the blower and aimed above the slide to remove dry leaves and other debris, this avoids using a ladder while away from home.

We have a residential fridge also, the rubber nonskid as Brett suggest works very well. And as he stated, we also place empty plastic containers which are left in place most of the time because we just put "food stuff" in them as needed. Our fridge doors have large bins built on them, that's where the taller bottles are kept.

Rich, glad you are OK, was wondering the other day where you were. You should have called me. Kay

The Honda CRV is a good tow, but beware, only through 2014, 2015 changed transmissions, and is a no tow. Welcome to the world of motorhoming, Kay

Sounds like a lot of fun just starting into retirement. On the towing, four wheels down is a neat way to go, but you can consider a tow dolly also, not nearly as expensive, and U-Haul and others will rent one by the day or week.

There should be no problem with using the fridge on propane while traveling, but if you choose to turn it off, in addition to Brett's suggestion for thermometer, you can use a bag of ice in the fridge for prolonged cooling.