kaypsmith
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Posts posted by kaypsmith
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Hello all, this thread could be depressing, especially to a newcomer to the lifestyle.
As Rich said, many of the new fangled gadgets are nice, but add to the complexity of your coach. Simplicity is hard to beat. My coach is home built, and this was a learning curve. All of us have problems to deal with, I pulled into a campground in Pigeon Forge Tenn., on June 29 this year. Set up, and went to dinner.
All was cool, as this was a 325 mile trek on that day, flawless, everything going my way. Next day I needed to air up coach to install tire covers, and to my dismay that sweet Detroit let me down. I Tried numerous RV repair places, but to my dismay, none of them knew anything about Detroit engines. A search on the internet revealed a truck and diesel repair facility in Bristol Tenn.. A call and I became acquainted with one of the nicest people in the industry, Milton Worley.
He and a helper drove the hundred mile journey, diagnosed the problem, then ordered the parts necessary to be delivered overnight. Next day about 1:30 Pm, they appeared in the rain, we tried to get some kind of tarp up. They worked literally in the rain till nearly dark. My wife said to me, how much will this cost? I replied probably $1500.00. When he finally presented the bill, he was apologetic that it was $943.00. I was relieved and gladly paid for his services. The rest of the vacation was of course cut back in normal expenditures, but was a wonderful stay. Moral of this short trivia is that, you must expect the bad with the good, and sometimes you will find that there can be other sources to get the same job done. As mentioned by Skip, he has found someone who will come to him for repairs. There are many of these Mobile RV repairmen out there. Most of them have worked for reputable dealers, and or repair shops. Hope that all will remember them, and don't hesitate to ask for references when calling on them. If they seem offended that you ask, those are the ones that you do not want to work on your equipment anyway.
Good luck to all,
Kay
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The 4104 is a great old coach. Being converted in the late 70's, early 80's, is a plus, as you will have the starting places already in place. You will surely have a lot of work ahead of you. Make sure that all electrical is good for todays standards.
The plumbing will need to be checked thoroughly. Updates to the above mentioned will be well worth your while. There is a book called bus converters bible, it is well worth reading, to get yourself up to speed on how to get going. Of course, though you didn't mention it, you may have done much of this kind of work before. If you already are familiar with coach conversions, then good luck on getting it back on the road next summer. Looking forward to seeing any progress pictures in the future.
Happy trails,
Kay
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Whew, now my head hurts!!!! Ha-Ha. All the good input from the other guys, is very true. I personally don't like the fact that a negative wire of at least the same size as the positive is not present from the batteries to the charging and or the inverting stations. But having said this, it seemed to have worked many years very well. Older units sometimes had this configuration, which depended on the chassis to negative. Biggest problem with this method is of course, the fact that chassis is steel, and the wires are copper, usually with brass ends, which are dissimilar metals. This leads to corrosion, as well as the heat that naturally occurs from the fact that electricity is being used. Keeping all terminals clean is a vital key to making them function well. Happy motoring Tim, and good luck with your problem.
Kay
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Is the Red Bay, in Alabama? Possibly Tiffin motorhomes? Tiffin is the manufacturer of Allegro and other motorhomes. If this the place, I would surely ask them to survey the problem. I live in Alabama, and many rvers use their services for painting and the like.
Good luck,
Kay
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Looks like a dream come true.
Welcome to motorcoaching, and FMCA.
Happy trails and good luck,
Kay
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Your question about how long depends on many things.
Is your 2001 Daemon Challenger with 52000 miles a diesel pusher, or gas engine? For either, that should be pretty low mileage, But as expected a diesel engine, could be Cummins, Caterpillar, or maybe but not likely a Detroit.
A gasoline engine usually goes 100,000 miles with little to no issues, or even more. A diesel engine can easily go 500,000 miles or more. All things considered, proper maintenance is the key to how much mileage can be expected. Transmissions are likewise a very big issue, but like engines if properly maintained, many more miles can be expected than what you have incurred. All things considered you should be in pretty good shape to go with your plans.
But please remember that this only my thoughts. Keep up the maintenance is the best way of assurance to getting the most of the least. My coach has two million two hundred twenty four thousand miles. Has the third engine and transmission to date, but remember that it was originally a dog then another carrier then mine. I have all of the maintenance records since she was new in 1988.
Good luck and happy trails,
Kay
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I have a Samsung house type fridge also. I shopped intensively for the lowest amperage possible, for inverter reasons. Only one with a lower amp draw was an LG, which I did not like some features. That is why I chose Samsung, not a plug for sales!!!! 3.9 amps maximum draw. Anyway I have used this fridge over 10,000 miles, and it is never shutdown for any reason. I dont know why rep didn't think it to be a good idea, but as mentioned in another post, I would ask that rep for reasoning, maybe Kitchenaid (also known as Whirlpool), might even void the warranty if it is used in motion. Otherwise, enjoy it. I would not like the hassel of turning it off and back on.
Happy trails,
Kay
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Another late tidbit to this post.
Like desertdeals69, I love a challenge. My third motorhome, is a retired dog, bought her on e-bay, drove her home, then started the conversion.
Cut the holes in the roof for ac, wired her, plumbed her and all the makings for a complete unit. Have turned down 100 grand. Just basic 101. I have been watching desertdeals69 accomplishments for a good while, and am impressed.
Kay
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Pretired,
Most lights in coaches are 12 volt, and some other operations, such as your camper style refrigerator. If all of these go out when unplugged from shore power, but work when plugged in, then the 12 volt must be working on the 12 volt converter.
If you crank the coach, do any of these items work then? There should be two sets of battery/batteries. One battery or sometimes two batteries for the coach to crank and run. Now that said, there usually on most coaches is, another set of batteries, this is for house use. These are not normally in the same area of the coach as the battery used for cranking the coach. As Rich suggested, find a manual, if possible, for your model coach. Knowing what I have described above, you should look for house batteries, versus chassis batteries.
I hope this tidbit will help relieve any confusion about the 12 volt wiring.
Kay
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Beautiful coach, congratulations, happy motoring. Hope you have as many pleasurable moments as we have had in ours. Welcome to FMCA.
Happy Trails,
Kay
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I swithced from Sprint to Verizon 5 years ago. Sprint's push to talk was great but the cell service sucked then. I switched to Verizon because they offered push to talk, but that portion of Verizon was the pits, but the cell service is far superior to Sprint, and here in Alabama and so far all of the states that I have traveled. Mostly in the eastern portion of the US the service is very good compared to any others.
For my 2 cents worth, Kay
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Danielle,
Welcome to FMCA. I don't quite understand your question, but if you are asking if it is legal to run a gas or LP generator while driving, then as far as I know it is legal if the generator is properly vented to run either while driving. Most of us do this while driving our motorhomes, for either the air conditioners or many other reasons. It is advisable to turn them off while refueling at any type of refueling station, and usually posted to do so.
You mentioned that you are planning an inspection of your food truck, I don"t know the laws concerning this kind of vehichle, so I would certainly ask someone who is associated with that industry, or possibly a call in advance to whomever is going to do the inspection.
Good luck, and Happy trails.
Kay -
After downloading manual as Rich suggested, find location of start capacitor and at least have it checked. If this is bad it will not start the compressor, and will time out normally.
Kay
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Jaime,
As Brett said, welcome aboard. Most all have have nutty impulses, but sounds like you put careful thought into your venture. Buying a used motorhome would definitely be a wise choice, as you probably should be able to recoup a lot of your investment, or possibility have some gain.
We are not yet fulltimers, but have a good bit of vacation time, and every weekend. I started with a 27 foot class a, then a 34 foot class a, then built a retired Greyhound into a 41 footer. So what I am telling you is that we have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of RV'ing, and hope you will as well. FMCA has definitely the best forum that I have read, with many knowledgeable contributors.
Good luck, and Happy Trails,
Kay
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This Yorkie home is absolutely adorable. I'm sure the two are spoiled rotten. Have four Yorkies, mom, dad and two 8 month olds, all spoiled, and bossy. Good work on the replica, something to be proud of.
Happy Trails
Kay
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The correct name for this switch is, 6 pole double throw. Only to make it easier when ordering a switch for this purpose.
Happy trails, Kay
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Hello Charles,
Calculating the axle weight as you have described, combined axle weight on right side is not 21820, it is 10240. The total gross weight is 21820. This all sounds pretty good. You did net describe whether this coach is gas front engine, or diesel pusher.If it is a gas, as I looked up monarch se, a 2014 model, it appears that that one is, the weight on that coach is 18,500 at time of manufacture. This weight should with no fuel, no water in the holding tanks, and no camping gear as you probably have, also no passengers. Add all of these weights, it will easily add 3000 lbs. If it is gas front engine, the weight on the front end sounds accurate. You have at two slides on the left side, this would account for the additional weight on left side. No more than that much weight an left side should not be an issue, as manufacturers have taken these weights into consideration, and actually plan for a little extra weight on the left side due to the natural crown of the road. A quick look at the tires, you will find the correct pressure for your tires on the tires. Everything being said, A trip to a reputable tire store, ask for a tire inspection, they can steer you to the correct size. Also please be aware that your absolute worst enemy on any vehicle, especially a motorhome, is dry rot in your tires. Most motorhomes are not driven enough to wear out these heavy duty tires, so please don't think that tread wear is the only thing to worry about when assessing your tire. If you just recently acquired your coach, and don't know tire history, then drive to a tire dealer and have them assessed. They can find date of manufacture and inform about this issue. You are wise to be inquisitive about tires, this could save lives, especially your family's. Hope I haven't been too long in my response, and hope questions have been answered reasonably. I googled your coach and was not able too find where your data is located, I'm sure another FMCA member will answer that for you.
Welcome to the forum, and happy motoring.
Happy Trails,
Kay -
Hello DickandLois,
Just thought I would mention, most Walmart stores carry a limited line of cargo, and or tow dolly tires. I can't say that they are the best money can buy, but sure comes in handy in a pinch.
Happy trails,Kay
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Thanks for the laugh Rich, Takes one to know one. I have told number 5 many times, all the others are new. Incidently, have been electronic / computer engineer for the past 30 years, and still enjoying it.
Kay
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Turn one ac unit electrically off, ie. flip the breaker to that one unit, before the thermostat turns it off. Let the other turn off by the thermostat.
If the two trying to start together, are overloading the generator, the generator should start the one ac OK. If this does not occur, there may be a problem with other sources, if it does start OK, then the generator overloading with two trying to start together.
This problem could be solved by installing a time delay circuit on the second ac.
Hope this helps!
Kay Smith
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Welcome to FMCA and to rv'ing. A very good investment, if you haven't already done so, is a good gps. I mean one that is made for your motorhome, not the standard across the counter, made for your car. A reasonable one can be purchased at cw, or many other camping stores. I have found this to be very helpful, especially when traveling to places unknown. With the one that is made for your RV, you plug in the height, width, length, and weight. This will help keep you out of places that could be potentially hazardous. Also the program will have all campgrounds, and service points for your motorhome.
Good luck on your first long trip, and HAPPY TRAILS,
Kay Smith.
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It does sound as though the 12 volt is not charging when on shore power. The ac should not be shutting down due to low 12 volt, as the ac is run on 120 volt ac. A ground issue may be the problem with the 120 volt ac, or simply a blown breaker. In the coach. Is this a 30 amp circuit, (3 prongs on the shore power), or is it a 50 amp circuit, (4 prongs on the shore power cord)? It really, so far, sounds as though there is not enough current entering your coach to supply everything inside. You can acquire a 12 volt charger and attach to the house battery, and charge these, just in case the converter is not working. Also the inverter, may very well be the only thing powering the whole 120 volt circuit, which would explain why the power dwindles pretty quickly, and the coach must be started to recharge the house batteries. Any additional info, as mentioned above will certainly help in trouble shooting the problem. Good luck, hope you find the problem soon.
Kay Smith
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The cable coax must be connected to the tv, and I assume that is. Most newer TV's have an input button on the remote control, and normally on the tv where all the buttons are located. You must set the input to cable, then go to settings in the menu selection. Once you find this, go to cable, and select autoscan channel selection. Choose this setting, and let your tv scan for available channels. When this completes, your tv probably will set itself to the lowest channel number. You should be able to go to any cahnnel from there. Also in looking through the manual, look for any possible switch that must be set to cable. Hope that this is helpful.
Happy trails, Kay
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Welcome aboard. I, too, am new to FMCA and really enjoy the warm hospitality shown by FMCA.
Happy Trails
Kay and Sue
Hueytown (racing country) Al
Best Laptop And The Most Secure Service
in RV Internet to Go/Staying in Touch
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Hello all, I've worked in the computer industry for over thirty years. I use Verizon MIFI, and have for the past 5 years, before that was ripped off by Hughesnet for 12 years as many others also believe they were. When just surfing, I use the cg wifi as much as possible rather than mifi for frugality. But making payments online and other security issues, I rely on mifi. As to the best laptop, Mac is very good, but, I have to use Microsoft most of the time, because of giving customer support. The best laptop that I have owned in years is a Lenovo Thinkpad, "yes Thinkpad". I am currently using Windows7 Pro., as it is a very stable OS and the most secure, that is user friendly. Windows 8 is a little more secure, but is the most user unfriendly that MS has offered yet. The browser that you use is the key to internet security, along with services that specialize in identity theft. Mozilla firefox is a reliable browser, but many banking institutions do not support it. IE10 has almost completely been rewritten to overcome security holes, and other security issues, and so far, seems to be a very good choice. There are some issues with ie10 that have been making it appear to lock up when browsing. These issues are because of dll entrys in the registry. There is a third party fix that can be run that will straighten out this issue, as some websights do not recognize 64bit explorers, and some will not revert to 32bit if you os is still running x86. Simply search for 32 versus 64 bit issues, and the fix is readily available. If you cannot find it, e-mail me and I will gladly forward them to you.
Happy trails'
Kay