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aztec7fan

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Posts posted by aztec7fan

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Some of you may have noticed the name of John Blue, F248693 in the Final Trip section of the May FMC magazine. You may not have known John or been acquainted with him, but his work may have affected many of the members of FMCA. John was one of the primary editors of the website rvparkreviews.com, which many of us use to either plan our next trip, or at least decide the next place to stay. John worked diligently to keep this website as useful as possible and his advice and suggestions to fellow travelers in the Forum section of this website helped many an RV traveler.

    His input and kindness will be missed in the FMCA family as well as the entire RV community.

  5. Posted · Report reply

    That was my conceroccurs if the hard starting is one issue, but how does the op get ready for a trip. If they are following the owners manual, they should let the fridge cool completely before putting food in it. This would require it to operate in an un-level position,unless they move the coach somewhere level before.

    Serious damage can occur if they are operating it on the driveway.

    As for level ref... More than poor cooling is at risk when ref is not level. Read your Ref Manual carefully. Replacements are expensive. Use a 6" level side to side & fore/ aft ON THE FLOOR OF THE REF OR FREEZER ! Frequently sink drain board & stove top may not read the same as ref.
    Good luck.,
    Gary

  6. Posted · Report reply

    Many coaches with the booth dinette can belt 4 and the sofa 3 so there are 7 right away and with the two up front that is 9 pretty easy. So it is doable. Sleep the grandparents in the rear, the parents on the sofa sleeper and the kids on the booth dinette and the floor.

    Actually, the booth dinette on the two coaches (1991 Tiffin and 1989 Fleetwood) I've owned did not have belts, so we could only belt 3 people on the sofa, one on the swivle chair and one in the co-pilots seat making 6 people in seat belts at the maximum.

  8. Posted · Report reply

    I'm curious, why no long term stays? I know some semi-permanant RV's can start to look trashy if not kept neat, but these types of customers can be a cash cow, especially during the slow months.

    What about a playgroound, game room, meeting room, etc. Will you have a well-stocked store, or just a few basic items?

  12. Posted · Report reply

    I recently made some phone calls here in Denver for my work to check on prices on propane.

    I found a big discrepancy between prices and thought I'd let you know that you should call a few places before filling up. Don't assume they all are similar.

    Here is what I found:

    Place 1: $2.35/gal

    Place 2: $2.89/gal

    Place 3: $3.89/gal

    These are all within 5 miles of each other.

    ( I kept the names out so it doesn't sound like I am advertising one place over another)

  13. Posted · Report reply

    There are lots of variables to your question. Do you travel with children or is there just two of you? Would you like to be near a city with lots of activities or would you liie to create your own activities (hiking, biking, fishing?). Do you need full hook ups or do you like to boondock for a while? What are your favorite activities, just relaxing and moderate activities like wine tasting, and shopping, or more strenuous like rafting, mountain climbing, jeeping?

    I love the Ouray area which you've already been to. You might check out the Glennwood Canyon area and I also like the central mountains like Twin Lakes/Leadville.

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Looking for members camping in the infield at Auto club speedway in Fontana, Ca in March.

    We won't be able to make it, but I was wondering, how far in advance did you need to get reservations for the infield. I've checked in the pas for the tracks in KS and TX, and they seem to be booked up well in advance.

  15. Posted · Report reply

    ***Spoiler Alert***

    The Winnebago Brave might have had some mechanical problems, but, sadly, it outlives Dale, the character on "The Walking Dead" who owns it. Beneath the surface, I think Dale enjoyed tinkering with his classic coach and wouldn't have been happy with an upgrade.

    I haven't seen Season 3 of the show, which airs on AMC. But Season 2, available on Netflix streaming, is very good.

    Since you've seen season two, I guess you see that the Brave finally meets a fiery end, an episode or two after Dale meets his demise. Kind of sad to see it go.

    You'll love season 3 even more! Great new characters, and a loss of some favorites.

    Recently, I saw a book titled something like "how to survive the zombie apocolypse," and they discuss transportation. they do not recommend "busses" due to their slow speed, large windows, and poor gas mileage, which are all good points, but I still would stick with my motor home for the comfort and self-contained abilities. There's a lot to be said for being able to take a hot shower (after killing a bunch of zombies).

  17. Posted · Report reply

    Quite a few years ago, I needed to sell our Allegro motor home. Since I wasn't in a hurry, I took it to a consignment lot to try selling it there. If you have the time, this option may work out You let them know what you want to get out if it, and they will decide if they can ask enough for them to make some money as well.

    I also tried selling it simultaneously on Ebay, and almost sold it, but the offers never got above my reserve price (what I owed on the loan).

    I have also looked at and almost purchased motorhomes that were posted on Craigslist. This is a great option since it's free to list, and you will be showing it to local buyers who can come to look at the coach if they're interested. Just watch for scammers trying to send you a check for the purchase price and then the check doesn't clear.

    We actually found our current motorhome by just driving by it and seeing the for sale sign in the window.

    The point is, use all the different resources at your disposal. Ebay is the only one that will cost you a little bit.

  18. Posted · Report reply

    Very nice!! The conversion looks great, and it's really nice to see you were willing to go through the effort to do the conversion yourself. Back in the day, Flx, GMC, and Marmon Harrington conversions were the best way to go, but with the number and variety of production coaches availble, you don't see too many conversions being done.

    I like the convertable bunks you built. They remind me of the bunks in my parents Fitzjohn that also folded down to make bench seats when not in use:

    Back beds

  19. Posted · Report reply

    Jim,

    It's great to hear from you and I'm glad you took the time to write. I also just now finished reading your PM to me as well. It's interesting that you and I aquired our first coaches around the same time. I got my first one in 1997 (which was a 1991 Allegro Bay). I had to get rid of that one around 2004, and I just picked up my current Southwind about 3 years ago.

    You are correct, my parents did travel with a horse trailer to a couple of rally's which does bring up a good story:

    On one trip we had two horses which my sister Karina rode in some shows. On this same trip, my aunt Cindy asked if we could stop by Chinchotegue (sorry for the incorrect spelling) and pick up a pony she had just purchased for their farm in Mass. My dad's original thought was to modify the two-horse trailer (he is a mechanical engineer you know) to accommodate the pony in the front. Once we got to the pick up point, we realized the pony would not fit in the new space, so he got the bright idea of having the horse in the bus. We covered the floor with rain slickers and hay and with a ramp and several strong men we got the pony into the Fitzjohn and drove to the FMCA rally (Northeast chapter I believe). My sister was in girl heaven, what other girl can brag that she had a pony in her bedroom! We arrived late at the rally site and the next morning we were all wakened by the pony whinning that it time to do it's business. The rest of the attendees of the rally knew my fater was crazy when we all piled out the next morning, including the pony, and my dad was seen shoveling horse manuer out our back window.

    I was only 4-5 years old when we stayed at your place, but my dad still remembers that he asked your dad one time, where do I empty my holding tanks? (shhhh, this was against FMCA Code of Ethics at the time). Your dad just told him to open his valves and drive around the field.

    I would love to see any of those photos you have from those early rally's and gatherings. As soon and you have the time to get them scanned and uploaded, let me know. I have a few here but they are mostly from national conventions and rally's out west:

    http://community.fmc...classic-photos/

    Those were special times with everybody learning something from everyone else. At one rally my dad learned how to remove his dual wheels properly. At another rally a member spend several hours helping my dad get his rear axles repaired. If you saw another motor home on the side of the road you stopped to help because we were all one family.

    My dad was wondering what ever happened to your parents Flx? I was also wondering if the barn that the FMCA helped raise still being used?

    Good to hear from you,

    Chris Guenther

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Ok, I think I figured it out. It's an early 1980s Pace Arrow. I was wrong about the Tioga since those are all Class C coaches. Sorry DandT, but the windows don't look right to be an Executive, and my guess about the Southwind was wrong too, because the back on this coach is angled and the Southwind has a straight back and straight ladder.

    Bring up pictures of Pace Arrows (like 1983) and you will see the same angled back end and same small louvered bedroom window.

    Now I'm curious, why did you want to know?

  22. Posted · Report reply

    One thing to consider is that tire manufacturers recommend that tires be replaced around 7 years of age. If they replaced the original 1996 tires around 2003-2004, that means the tires now are 8-10 years old and all should be replaced.

    As far as manufacturer, many people swear by Michelins because they ride "softer" and their RV specific tires are designed to last longer, but they are pricier than other brands.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    We stayed at Fishing Bridge campground inside Yellowstone this past summer on the way to Canada and Alaska. We were there 4 days and really wish we had planned more time there. Four days was really not enough to enjoy all Yellowstone, and the nearby Grand Tetons, has to offer.

    After returning to the lower 48 we decided to visit Mount Rushmore on the way home to Texas. We stayed at Stockade Lake North campground in Custer State Park just outside Custer, SD. It is a very scenic area.

    Fishing Bridge is a good campground if you are looking for hookups, but it has more of a "parking lot" feel. A couple of years ago we stayed at Bridge Bay campground which is also in Yellowstone. No hookups and some of the sites are not level, but I believe it is more scenic. Also, you have a picnic table and fire ring for evening cookouts which Fishing Bridge does not. Also check out one of the caves in the Mount Rushmore area, Wind Cave or Jewel Cave.

    I would second the vote for staying in Stockade Lake North campground in Custer State Park when you go to Mount Rushmore. The park is great and the drives around the area are not to be missed.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    Probably not your issue, but something to think about: We originally had a 1991 Tiffin Allegro Bay (gas, Ford chassis). We took it out on it's first test drive and it would get up to 55 mph, then die back to 50 mph, and the engine ran really loud. I called Tiffin, asking if there was a governor on the engine and they said no. I checked with Ford and local mechanics and they confirmed, no governor. I took the coach on the highway again and noticed that the shifter seated itself in 2nd gear very easily, and you had to back it up slightly to get it into 3rd gear. No more problems.

  25. Posted · Report reply

    In those years we made our own motor homes out of Flxible Buses. We had two and we had the same business mailing address so we shared the membership. I have my fathers 1941 Flxible with the late 40s Onan and Allison Mt30 6-speed..

    Yep, alot were Flx's, but not all. Some were GMC's, Marmon Harringtons and many others were converted school buses. That's why the Code of Ethics had to have rules about covering the lights and changing the paint. FMCA didn't want to have any "undesirables" e.g. "Hippies" joining!

    My parents motor home was a 1957 Fitzjohn Roadrunner. Rumor was, much of the interior work was done by Custom Coach. That bus is still around today owned by someone who is re-doing the interior and parks it in a cave when not in use.

    And DESERTDEAL, yes, the "real" plates were made out of aluminum. I wish I still had my dad's

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