obedb

Years ago/ I remember a trucker that traveled with a parrot. As he passed me I looked over and a live parrot was setting on a perch mounted on the passengers seat. Probably could get a bit messy though.

Oh by the way, not to get you dog owners ticked off because we had dogs before we bought our new Georgie Boy II in 1988, but!!! When it is raining and chilly in Colorado on a fall night, it nice to not have to do that last dog walk before slumber.

Thetford Aqua Chem is what we use. The old formaldehyde formulas seem to be long gone. We have no odor ever by the way. Maybe Tiffin plumbed it right on my unit. I keep my black water valve closed as has been mentioned and close the gray water valve a day before an anticipated dump of the black. As most probably do, we have the hookup for a black tank flush. We also keep a small trash can next to the throne for unnecessary tissue to be disposed of.

I guess the spell checker got a word. It is Speedco. I understand that they have filters in stock for PM's on most units as well as filters for the most common genset Onan. Read that somewhere.

I use backup power supplies for our DVR's at home. Same unit that is used to keep computers alive for a proper shutdown. What a pain in the bottom when they reboot. Almost 15 minutes only to be shutdown again by a weather related outage. Good reason to keep the inverter on. My guess/ pretty much automatic by the control panel.

Speedo offers onsite oil testing. I tested at every change on my last 18 wheeler. Western Star tractor with 500 horse Series60 Detroit. If one is convenient I will use them for the Motorhome also.

I have always left ours on when using the generator or plugging in to park power. So far so good. Perhaps we will find out for sure when one of the really knowledgeable members sign in. I too would like to know the correct procedure.

Great idea on the steer to tag and new steers every three. Pricey but a safety plus. By the way/ old buddy of mine worked on MCI and Prevost coaches at a local bus company. His opinion was that the MCIs were more durable.

Notice! The trucker pulled over to offer help no doubt. A lot of professional truckers are running dash cams now. Probably a good idea.

Brett The only picture that displays the flap in my collection is too large a file to post. Our Phaeton, with Subaru in tow, atop Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado. I will take a closeup in the next day or two. I guess I can post it to this thread??

As Brett said. There is a leak somewhere. Often the air dryer IS the culprit. When the compressor cycles off, the dryer purges. A tight system can go quite a while between purges. Get out the soap sprayer if you can"t nail it down quickly. Retired trucker familiar with the problem. Byron

We have an almost eight foot wide heavy flap that hangs down from the frame only a few inches above the road surface. Our Forrester has 4,000 miles behind and not a nick on it.

From the perspective of an old trucker that pulled spread axle trailers with dump valve switches and a long time ago, tag axles on tandem truck/tractors (three axle power unit with the rear axle not powered but liftable) it would be easier on tires if you dumped the air on the tag axle when turning 90 degrees or there abouts. If there is a separate switch for the tag kinda makes me think I am right. Perhaps when you hit the dump switch before leveling all three axles deflate? Gotta think that is a fail safe program in the computer. My two cents.

My 2003 Phaeton was built on a 2002 chassis. When we agreed to buy it from the original owner last May I confirmed the mfg date on the sidewall of a steer tire. He admitted that five of the tires were original, and he had blown one inside dual. 12 year old tires that looked to be in excellent shape, But! The unit was gorgeous. Garaged its entire life, low miles, and almost perfect inside. Couldn't wait to get new rubber on it. I remember reading somewhere that tires need to be driven regularly to keep some of the "chemicals" used in the tire build properly distributed through out the tire. Something that does not happen with many RVs. Don't know if that is accurate re the regular use. I have seen Motorhomes setting upright in medians over the years. Sometimes a blown steer. Sometimes weather. The steel posts and cable probably were a factor as was mentioned earlier. Bet they had their seat belts on.

We had dogs for over forty years and as the last two were getting near the end, I told my wife that our next dogs were going to be cats. We started with a neutered male that was approaching two years old. He is the classic brown tabby with the orange nose. A copy of the one that appears on many cat products labels. We love him and he has been to Colorado from PA twice. We adopted an older female all black domestic long hair in December. She hasn't traveled with us yet, but the adventurous character she is will hopefully make her fit right in. We would never board them. Yes! They ARE family. Brad's idea on removing the washer to create space for the litter box is definitely a good one for us. Two cats living on Fancy Feast dry food will put additional pressure on the "restroom facilities." Byron

I have not heard of a Motorhome being weighed by a state official anywhere? My unit with full fuel, 3/4 water which is 90 gal, full propane, me at the wheel, no one else onboard, no cargo is 26,500. GVWR is 29,500. Axles were fine with more to go. GCWR is 36,500. My toad, Subaru Forester weighs 3400. There are so many trucks out there to weigh unless they are bored, why would they weigh an RV? Not saying it hasn't happened, but I have not seen it. 46 years plus behind the wheel of an eighteen wheeler and as the old Johnny Cash song goes "I Have Been Everwhere."

Brad, Thank you for a great idea on removing the washer/dryer combo. We are the second owners of a 40ft Phaeton. We were out almost three months on our first trip in it last fall. Did not use it once. When I dewinterize the unit soon, I hope to do the same thing. Any advice you offer on the removal would be appreciated and what brand of fan do you use? What type of door or covering would also be helpful. I guess that I could wing it, but there is no substitute for experience. Thanks! Byron

The LED sets are much lighter. That is why I like them. Almost 71yo. They are easier to mount in a new spot because of the light weight. We use Samsung sets, but I have not used one with the Square wave inverters. Look at one on an ocilliscope/ that is why I call it a square wave. I used one on a cry Sony set years ago and it worked fine. The sine wave inverters have come way down in price therefore a rather small one should work. Just check the specs on both units.

Keep some air in them or the bags will usually be trashed riding down the road. Check the manufacturer's website for the minimum pressure. I had aftermarket bags on my gasser and they worked well. I have a set of Firestone double or convoluted bags on my f-150. They worked very well with my former travel trailer.

Knowing about where Joe lives, the engine doesn't have to work that hard to get south of 95 and onto the flat Delmarva Peninsula. Then on to Ocean City. Headwinds are probably not significant on that heading, but that is still a very impressive number. Wish that I could get close to that fuel mileage, but I am the kind of guy that runs in headwinds westbound. Months later on the return eastbound I am facing strong headwinds. How can that be? My luck! DPs usually have the drag coefficient of a BARN!

From Ocala I prefer 301 north to A1A to join I-95 above Jacksonville. Try to get through the DC/Baltimore mess between rush hours and the afternoon rush starts earlier on Fridays. Run around NYC on I-287, joining the NY Thruway for a short distance on your way to the Tappanzie Toll Bridge. Continue east to rejoin 95. North through Connecticut on 95 is always really busy until you get above New Haven. I always run around Providence on I-295 rejoining 95 north of the city. You do not want to go through Boston. Stay on 95 around the west side of the city. Once you get above Boston into Cow Hampshire the ride is usually enjoyable. Maine is usually a pleasure to travel in. Be sure to have reservations because Maine is the destination from NYC and north for summer vacations. If you really want stretch things out, there other routes that will add many miles to your trip. By the way/ I always enjoy 301 & A1A. Old Florida!

We have had good luck at the majority of KOA stays. A few have been disappointing, but when I am trying to cover some ground (hard run) the KOA directory comes out. Byron

The damage that a steel belted radial can do during a blowout is substantial. I have seen steer blown tires knock off part of a fiberglass hood on an 18 wheeler. Look at all of the stuff near your tires and consider what could happen. A used unit could have been abused and you would not know it.

Multi Energy? ......... I re-tired last year with XZE models. Not a complaint one. In the event of a failure, they would be easier to find while out there riding around. I use centramatics for balancing. Tire shop told me that I was the first MH'er to put them on. They are expensive, but I used them for many years on 18 wheelers. On our Phaeton, when you get on a really smooth stretch of highway there is just nothing there but smooth. As Brett has already mentioned, an out of round tire can beat you up, but a quality tire shop probably will not sell you trouble. Service Tire in Pennsylvania is my choice. Been using them for many years. Joe mentioned on another topic, a method of loosening and re tightening lug nuts to possibly correct a symptom of an out of round tire. My opinion/ Michelin and Bridgestone are proven tires. There are probably other good ones out there, but I know what works for me.

IMHO. The tire shop that I use added extensions to the inside tires. A screw on with a cap. If you put the cap on with a little too much force getting the cap off will spin the extension loose or off when checking pressure. Their are metal flow through caps available where truck tires are sold. Don't like the plastic version. A tool available at truck stops can push on to a regular cap and easily spin it off if you want a cheaper cap. A quality gauge that has a straight in (not angled as on the cheapies) will be fine for pressure checks. I use the same straight in style for my air chuck that ***** and locks. Get inside, watch your gauge, hit the brake pedal to get the compressor to recycle and stay comfortable while you air'em up. Nice on a cold or rainy morning. Used that method when I sometimes had to air up 18 of them.