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They are full timers. Why subject them to anything even near the NYC I-95 to Boston stuff?

You have the perfect Colorado Rocky Mountains wife. Head west. The youngsters can Kayak on the Arkansas River while your DW looks out for them and you can wait in the Boat House Pub in Salida for their return. Food and beer is really good, and the ambience is special.

As I post this comment, it is 50 degrees in Lake City Colorado at 9AM MDT. High will be 71 today. Cloudy today. When the sun is out it is warmer in the afternoon, but with low humidity. A/C is seldom needed. Overnights are delightful. There are many places throughout the West with similar temps. Most full timers that I talk to out west head to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, or the west coast for the winter.

Just a thought/ I have known people that are afraid of bridges.

Full timers. If you are not in a hurry, find I-66 off of the DC beltway, head west to I-81. Stay on I-81 north to Binghamton and then head east towards Albany on I-88. Then head east on I-90 NY Turnpike (toll$) into Mass also toll and exit in Mass onto I-95 north. You will run around the most congested part of the Boston area but it will still be very busy. I-93 will be joined north of Boston and take you north into NH. Lincoln is a small town/ must be something you want to see? The way that I have suggested will still,be busy in places, but the scenery is better, and it beats the heck out of north on 95 up the east coast.

We use bathroom rugs to cover our dash. Brown in color, with a non skid backing. Three of them cover the Phaeton dash and protect it from our cats claws. They look just fine and Walmart sells them. They have been on for a year with no discoloration.

When I install replacement starting cables for big engines or house battery cables I use 00 welding cable. Very flexible and imagine the amps going through the cable when welding. I don't use the crimp terminals. I use copper sweat terminals, separate flux and solid core solder. More expensive than store bought cables but they do not fail. Learned the technique in the late eighties. No internet. Probably read a how to manual when installing golf cart batteries in our gasser.

Trying to pull a test for a bad ground connection or cable up out of my mind. Have not used it for many years. Meter positive to negative post or ground post on the starter . Meter negative to a good ground preferably the starting battery negative post. Someone engages the starter while the measurement is being done by another. The measured voltage on a good ground should be in the low tenths of a volt. Probably anything over .4 volts indicates a problem with the ground circuit. A good heavy ground circuit should be a dead short to ground with almost no measured voltage. I read about this test eons ago in Commercial Car Journal I think. Actually helped a good wrench get a truck no start problem fixed. It was a bad cable. Buddy called me for advice. The wrench worked for him. I didn't even get a beer out of it. Oh! Resistance test for starter cables is not reliable. If just a few strands are intact the multimeter will show OK no resistance. The multimeter is powered by double a or triple a batteries. Starters are powered by huge amperage for short periods. Just an afterthought.

Long way to Key West from Key Largo, but you don't have to go all of the way. Looked like there was a lot to see and fish in between.

I kinda thought he was referring to the voltmeter while starting read at the instrument panel. In that case it would be normal. Of course as you have suggested, Brett, dropping to 12 volts at the battery terminals seems strange, especially since the batteries are new and apparently properly charged. I normally see voltages on a starting battery freshly charged with my voltmeter in the high 13s. 14.5 volts seems like alternator voltage to me. Something is in sight and it is being missed. Unit is too new for this to happen.

Spin balancing makes good sense, but I have not seen it done in many years. Never been offered to me as a choice. My guess is that quality control at high end manufacturers (especially Michelin $$$) would not let a bad build out the door. Maybe truckers around here are just a bunch of rubes, and don't demand the best. Getting the wheel centered on the studs is easier with the new standard of hub piloting, but still not perfect in every case. Regardless/ couldn't be happier with our new tires. Quality manufacturer, gold standard dealer, and centramatics $$$.

Corrosion and ground cables seem to go together. The volt meter readings seem normal to me. When the starter is engaged readings head south. If the starter was installed by a shop, they should have checked your ground. Cables that are old do occasionally corrode internally (out of sight) and they fool a lot of mechanics, but your unit is way too new for that to be a problem, unless you live in Upstate New York and do a lot of winter driving. Something is right there for you or the shop to see. Let the forum know because it helps others.

The experts are probably all traveling to Madison Wisconsin or busy setting up. Hopefully you will receive some advice soon.

I have not seen tires balanced on a vehicle in many years. There are probably shops that still do it but could be difficult to find. Since Brett mentioned it, he probably knows where to find them, but my guess is they are few and far between. Of course I could be wrong, but it has never been offered to me over the years. I do remember seeing steer tires, after being put on the rim, placed on a rather high tech looking machine that spun them for computer balancing at Service Tire in Harrisburg. I was told that if the tire exceeded normal balancing weights, it was rejected and sent back to the manufacturer. They never offered that service when drive tires were installed on the trucks I ran over the years. When I had 6 new Michelin XZE tires installed June of last year, I brought Centramatic Wheel Balancers with me that I ordered from the manufacturer in Alvarado Texas. Have used them for years on 18 wheelers with very good results. They are expensive, but they can be moved from one unit to the next. On the rare stretches of highway that are really smooth, that is all that I feel. SMOOTH!!!

In spite of my many years of experience guiding big diesel rigs down the highway I was also taken in by the beauty and diesel power of the higher end Motorhomes that passed me frequently. I was caught up in the ability to finally own one. Did not do my home work. Just assumed that diesel power solved everything. Boy was I wrong. Kinda like a owning an expensive boat. Big hole in the water to dump money in. Sure is nice inside though. Maybe I will finally get things up to snuff and travel with fewer worries. They are in no way as durable as a big rig, but as Brett has pointed out, the bed is nicer.

As Bill pointed out, keeping your rpm up on a pull usually helps to keep coolant temp down. It does it in two ways. Fan speed is increased if you have a rear facing radiator and the speed of the water pump increases therefore moving more coolant through the radiator. Find a tranny gear that allows you to climb while easing back on the accelerator as Wayne pointed out. Knowledgeable truckers have used this method for years. Take care of the cleaning issues mentioned on this forum by Brett Wolfe and hopefully you will be good to go. Or running in the dead of winter might help. (Tongue in cheek)

A Wannabe. Only one time on the Keys and it was in an 18wheeler. I delivered to the Naval station in Key West that was built in the 1800's. The Joint Interagency Task Force (drug interdiction) had an operation there and I have the cap to prove it, courtesy of the ranking CPO. I remember old Florida from the 60's and the Keys are it. When I delivered, I was hoping for no load northbound right away. Spotted accommodations on the way into town where I could have parked, and found a room. Alas, dispatch needed me to head to the mainland for a back haul the next day. I would enjoy taking our Phaeton there for a second chance. Good luck to you headed that way.

Although we are not full timers (would be if it was up to me), I can tell you for sure that the western states that offer higher altitude camping are a good choice. I am partial to Colorado and Montana to experience pleasant summers. You can easily check normal summer temps on your computer if you find a place that you are curious about.

I saved $100 per tire June of last year, but it was in the states. Perhaps the program does not work as well up north? This forum alone is worth the money to me. Hope you change your mind.

Different topic/ Johnny Walker RV got good marks from the poster.

I agree with Joe on "lost without your car." I would not be without a toad now even if we downsized. The original owner of our coach pulled an older Honda civic with a manual tranny. I remember him telling me that it weighed under 3,000 pounds. Above 3,000 seems to be the weight where most states require supplemental braking systems. He towed with a Blue Ox bar and no supplemental braking. That is the cheapest method. Like me, he had a Class A CDL in his wallet. He also drove tractor trailers during his time off work as a full time firefighter, and probably knew the 40' Phaeton was not a sports car. I have seen some RVs driven that way though.

Ran a 34 gasser for years and we did not tow. We were always in a hurry and like you, most places two nights max. We now have a 40' , are retired, and tow a Subaru 4 wheels down. The toad unhooks so quickly I would never consider a trailer. You gotta deal with the car on and off thing, and if you don't have a pull thru, you gotta move the trailer somehow. Everyone I have seen with a trailer always has a lot more work to do before leaving the site. Plus a trailer will probably add considerable weight to the project. Check the weight of a trailer that can handle a three or four thousand pound vehicle. My two cents, but if you have an opinion someone may jump on you.

Found what you are looking for. Visit tiffinrvnetwork.com as a guest, click on the board index, find topic Where Are You Heading and click on it, go to page 3, drop down aways and you will see Glacier NP, Bannf, Lake Louise, Jasper, Emerald Lake, click on that and you will be pleased with the info. I met RichardN/ he runs a 42 Allegro Bus and pulls a jeep. Indicates no problems even in the tunnel. Appears to have good info.

Try TRVN site. Seems to me that a number of them have traveled in the area. tiffinnetwork.com or perhaps tiffinetwork.com

I would first be concerned about your GCWR ( gross combined weight rating ). As long as you don't overload the coach GVWR, a few hundred pounds over the tow rating would not worry me but I have a different work experience than most here. There are legal ramifications. Lighten up on the coach running weight, by having say 1/2 tank of water, leaving your barbells at home, well you get the picture.