sgureasko

Some years ago, I was at the Livingston, Montana, fairgrounds and saw a mid '80's Pace Arrow motor home. The one with the pointy nose and chrome automobile bumpers. This guy had 4 bumper jacks leveling and holding the MH up. Like you said, they are out there.........

After you move the motorhome out of the garage, do you see tire marks where you where parked? That is the rubber is leaching into the concrete. You should park either on wood or plastic. In other words, keep the tires off the concrete. Now to your other question, and I'm not trying to be a smart aleck here, but, unless you have xray vision you won't see the dry rot, until it reaches the end of it's life and starts showing on the outside, as it starts on the inside first. Plus, how many curbs and potholes have you hit and how bad did you hit them. Remember, you can't look at the inside of the tire and see if there is any damage, unless it is removed and inspected. Please people, you can't put a value on your life. Tires are to cheap to chance your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Let me explain it this way. How much life insurance do you have, and how much do you value your life and lives of your loved ones. 10 yr old tires are an accident waiting to happen. Have you ever hit a curb or a bad pothole? As the tireman said, you can't see inside the tires. Have you ever seen what a tire does when it blows out? You need to look at some videos of blowouts and the aftermath. On the wonderlodge forum, we recommend 7 years MAX and it is on the newer made Michelins. Older tires like yours should have been replaced in a 5 year period. Now to DOT, you are private vehicle, just like your car. DOT regulates commercial vehicles. You will only be stopped(by the police) if you do something wrong in traffic, just like your car. Please, for your safety and those around you, change all your tires, and when you buy new ones, check the date code on them. Buy the newest ones you can find or order. You don't want ones that have been sitting in a warehouse somewhere for a year or more.

I also have a tag that lifts, and it make a big difference in turning radius. Use it all the time in campgrounds.

Everyone has giving you good advice. You should also consider Cracker Barrel restaurants for overnighting. Most have mentioned Passport America, that is half off pricing for overnighting in certain RV parks. Good company!

I'm with mpierce on that, and mine has over 230k on the original drivetrain. Plus, I know that ernie put over 300k on one of his.

Yes, and they are great. For the price difference and only keeping them for about 6 years, they work. Am on the second set.

Try dumping the tag when making a turn(at low speeds), in a campground, and you will find that you can make a tighter turn, without the usual scrubbing of the tire that you can actually see on the ground.

Listen to Erniee. He does this for a living, in RV's only. He did ours and it's great.

I keep reading about the improved fuel economy with DEF, and have one question concerning that. How much does the DEF fluid cost and how far or how much does it cost when entered into the "fuel economy" factor. And for those that are thinking about this, I have a '90 Wonderlodge with an 8V92 DD engine, with over 230,000 miles on it. And for younger generation, it's a two stroke that is turbo and supercharged.

I also had LEO, but in La. and had the same experience with weight enforcement.

On mine, a '90 Wanderlodge, I drop the suspension, including the tag, then deploy the jacks. If the ground is uneven, the jacks will still work. One word of caution, be sure the drive wheels stay in contact with the ground, as that is your only parking brake contact. Your coach may move if those wheels are off the ground and you will damage something, like the jacks or frame.

Most DMV's are like that. Motor homes are a twilight zone for them. My state allows you to drive with no special licensing. I know Texas and California require a non commercial class B (for over 26000lbs.). There have been many discussions on various forums about this. Even most owners don't know if their state requires it or not. Dealerships are really in the dark, and probably don't care. To them, it's sell, sell, sell.

You also need to look at towing capacity, and what kind of towed vehicle do you or are you going to own. Just adding to your thought process.

Check that the new turbo is indeed operating. Pull the air intake hose off at the turbo and make sure it is free to turn. Do this with engine off. You can spin the blades by hand. Also, make sure your exhaust clamps are tight and the exhaust is not cracked or leaking anywhere, as this can contribute to your problem.

Possibly a weak breaker.

Our first coach, a '78 Wanderlodge, was named "Fine Wine", and our current Wanderlodge is named "Jus Chillin", cause that is what we do when traveling. Isn't that what we bought our motorhomes for, relaxing and seeing the country?

In the article about do's and don'ts on towing, it states that, on a average, maximum speed is 65 MPH, and to run the towed at every fill-up. Now, I don't know when the average fill-up is, or is considered. But I think most diesel pushers can go several days on a fill-up, depending of course, on how far one travels in a day. In my particular instance, I can travel 3/4 day (1,500 to 1,800 miles) before filling up. Does that mean I don't have to run my towed vehicle until then? Should I start it once a day? If I travel more than 500 miles in a day, when should I run it? I realize this depends on the model, but as a generalization, what should one follow? sgureasko 90 Wanderlodge with a 300 gallon fuel tank

I have no bone pick here, but I agree with Brett. Many years ago, in the early 70's, I started camping with a trailer. My kids loved it. We moved to a slide-in (I think we went backwards, but) and also had fun. Then as time moved on and the kids got older and didn't go with us, we lost interest. Many years later, we got the bug again and saw many TT's and motor homes on the road. We talked to many people about the pro's and the con's of each, and everyone seemed happy in their choice. Some with TT's, said they will eventually move to a mh, but not at present. I love my motor home, but talk to everyone, whether or not they have a tent, trailer, or motor home. Belonging to Good Sam is a personal choice, as some want that little discount you get at CG's, and some want it for Camping World. Just remember, the world is made up of people who think differently. That's why there are so many different manufacturers of so many different products.

There had to be more to that story(of being stopped) by a DOT inspector than meets the eye. First off, those guys(and Gals) have their fill of trucks coming through Katy, and more than they have time for. This motorhome had to doing something that attracted the eye of the inspector. Being a retired law officer, I guarantee there was more going on, and you only heard a small part of the story. Also, when was the last time anyone heard of someone being stopped in any state(other than California), by a DOT person, "for no reason".

There is a campground in Beaux Bridge, La. that allows golfcarts. Actually that is the first question they ask, when you check in. They even have a golfcart mardi gras parade, through the park. Except, you won't hear any other music than Cajun being played and they have strict rules on the operation of the carts. I guess that's why they ask if you have one. The campground is Cajun Palms, and its right off I-10.

Tom, Since no one else has commented on your bus and engine, let me throw some sites out to you. There is The Bus Nuts, Detroit Diesel Two Stroker, and of couse WanderlodgeOwnersGroup. By going on any or all of these sites you will get more information, plus will be to answer any question you have on anything you have.

Use Delvac 100 40wt. It has low ash, which that engine requires. Also, the faster you go, the more oil it burns (just the nature of the beast). Your fuel mileage is average. The Delvac is available through O'Reillys, and can be ordered by asking for 100-40. Don't know of a store that stocks it, of course, those engines are dinosaurs. Be sure and keep up with your cooling system, that is the weak link with that engine. Also, don't idle very long (use a fast idle, if you do) as you know you only have 5 psi, which is also normal. I have learned (actually, forced myself) to drive 63-65 MPH, and have cut my oil consumption way down, and increased my fuel mileage some. It isn't much but I'm almost 15,000lbs. heavier. My redline is 2150, so I try to keep it a little lower so I have some reserve for passing, etc. Mine is a '90 Wanderlodge with almost 220,000 miles on it.

The reason Equal needs a special core is so that substance that is used does not jam the valve core open when checking the air pressure with a gauge. I use a Pressure Pro monitoring system (with Equal), and have never had a problem. Last week, while returning from a trip, my Pressure Pro starting beeping, as I was slowing down to see what was the problem, my tag tire blew. I didn't have coach damage, I think, because I had a warning that a tire was losing air, and I was able to get down to a much slow speed before total failure.

I have had tires balanced both ways(weights and Equal),not at the same time, and I find Equal does a better job. Now, that being said, my tires are 22.5's. I feel that with 19'5's, weights would probably be better. I buy my Equal for around $20 a bag(which comes with a special valve core and tag to put on the stem. Most shops can balance 19.5's, but it takes a large truck shop to do the same. Most of the truck shops that I have talked to prefer to do it the way I have said. Most 18 wheelers run Equal or something similar. Of course, they change tires more often than we do. Just my .02 cents worth.