tetonchief

I have done the drive twice in the last 4 years--once on my Harley, and this past Sept in my Scion. It actually closed the day after I drove it due to weather and didn't reopen. I ended up coming back through Gardenier on the north end. Red Lodge is a nice town. I wouldn't take my 39 foot rig over it--it's a white knuckle drive! The first time on my Harley was in late June and there was still a ton of snow and about a 2 mile stretch of road under repair that was one lane and you follow a pilot vehicle. My Harley looked like I road the Baja after that! One other consideration, you break down up there it is going to cost a third world country's GDP to get help or a tow! Even if you don't have a toad, rent a car for a day or two to ride around especially over the pass. No matter what way you go into YNP you are going to climb over 10,000 foot passes on your way through and out. Hopefully you'll get some more input here from others.

I originally thought that naming it was lame but my sister keeps asking me how "Julie" is? (I have a Newmar...so, Julie Newmar. I can't stand it!). So, I am leaning towards "the SKI Haus" --as in Spent the kids inheritance, and I am a full timer and Haus goes with my Austrian German heritage. Hopefully it will shut sissy up!

2012 Canyon Star 3856 (39 feet) towing a 2009 Scion xB and I am a full timer. I get about 7.2 average--and I have a Banks full system (chip, intake and exhaust).

I got this one and I am totally thrilled. I am in the Tetons and the wifi wouldn't penetrate my aluminum shell except by window closest to the nearest antenna. Now I have great reception and the repeater allows me to have all my devices connected at the same time (if I choose to) as my wifi is an employer supplied and they require a user name and individual assigned password. the repeater is the connection to the wifi and the repeater acts as a router for my devices. I upgraded to the bigger antenna too http://www.jefatech.com/product/RV-KIT-REPEATER

You are welcome. It is a recommendation from Newmar motorhomes. You can find more info on it in many forums. The man I bought my coach from told me.

http://wademaid.com/product_beast_wash.php Try this, I got some and it works good. Also, if you have Gelcoat, do not use micro fiber it will leave scratches. Best thing to use is a real lambs wool pad.

My Canyon Star is a 39 foot Class A.

Just to update everyone, I purchased a "service contract" from Wholesale Warranties on Dec 31st--the last day before the price increase. Ended up getting another coach inspection which confirmed the one I paid for a month earlier. I bought a good coach. Since I am living FT in my coach I decided I needed to protect my "home" as much as I could just to have piece of mind. I do hope I never have to use it but the $4000+ I paid helps me sleep nights knowing I have a good chance of assistance if something goes wrong. I do plan to keep very good records of everything I do and receipts too.

I just want to give some KUDOS to Blue Ox and one of their dealers. I bought a motorhome recently and it came with a Blue Ox tow bar and much of the associated parts. I only needed a base plate and wiring kit for my 2009 Scion xB. I looked it up the installation on line and saw that it was not a simple bolt on for my car as it required removal of the front fascia and some cutting with a power saw, so I quickly decided it was a job for the professionals. I contacted Blue Ox by email and they referred me to their dealer in my area (Hitch and Weld of Naples, Naples FL). They are also the only dealer in the area without going to the East coast or up to Ft. Meyers so I was a little leery I was just getting a name. I also bought my base plate and wiring kit at the recent Tampa RV show from the Blue Ox exhibitor booth--it was discounted and included free shipping to my home. I was wondering if the local dealer wasn't going to be too happy I was bringing my own parts. Needless to say they were very pleasant to work with and very professional. Hitch and Weld of Naples is a Man, wife and son business that has been around a long time. Not only is the installation job very professional looking it was much cheaper than the quotes I got from some places in the Tampa area (almost 50% less in one instance) and it is the labor charges. The owner dealt with me and he was very helpful telling me to call him any time if I have any questions. So, if you are in south FL or close enough you want to see Naples or lay on the beach when you are having some work done, I think you will find the drive for your anything towing, trailer or hitch needs well worth the drive. If you live near here, this is a good company to do business with!

Heating--what would you do? I have begun living full time in my new (to me) Canyon Star 3856 Ford V10 gas. I work in the Tetons from late Apr to late Oct so the nights can get down in the low 30's during Apr and Oct. I am a little concerned about preventing my water pipes from freezing. I have 2 ac/HP and 2 propane furnaces. I am not sure if I can get propane delivered to my coach in the park. I have been looking into several things and was hoping to hear from some people with more experience than me (I have none). I was thinking of getting (2) of those little 200 watt heaters to put int he basement compartments near the tanks? These would be run off the site electric (something I am provided with for my employment). What do you think of this idea? Since the HP is not very good below 40 degrees, I was thinking of using space heaters in the coach and heating electrically. My options here that I am considering are: 1) Using the Dyson oblong/circle fan/heater--it is on sale at COSTCO, is very quiet, and I think if placed at the front of the coach by the driver area facing rear ward, it would heat the entire coach. On cold nights I could open the water cabinets to aid getting heat in there. 2) Using those oil filled old fashioned radiators to provide the heat. They are also quiet, cheaper than the Dyson (even if I buy two) but they would take up a bit more room. I was also looking at the Cheap Heat system I saw on one of the RV emails I get daily but I think I would have to install (by a professional) 2 of these since I have 2 furnaces. This would eliminate having to use propane, however, as good as this system sounds it may be way more than I can afford to spend between the cost of the parts and the extra labor charges for an RV professional to install. Anyone have this and what do you think? So, what would you do? Long post--I am sorry, but need your expert advice...or just your honest opinion. Thank you.

Well, I decided to go with Wholesale Warranties--84 month 70k miles. Their inspector was here this am for my inspection and all went well. So now I get my contract and cough over the $4100. I really hope I never have to use it but hopefully it is good piece of mind. The guy who did the inspection was actually a "Warranty Adjuster"--the guy who determines if they pay or not. Nice guy.

The DOT system involves using a water bottle placed at various places on the outside of the MH (just need one water bottle and one helper) When the water bottle is in the correct place on the ground outside the MH you place a DOT on your mirror or on the windshield. Yoou use the DOT as your reference when you are driving for turning and backing. That is the simple explanation--it makes a lot more sense watching the slides and then doing it in the parking lot before the driving portion of the class as during the driving. Yes the class is for 10 persons--8 that buy from Lazy Days and 2 spots are for and person with an RV regardless of where the bought their MH. I sent an email and the instructor called me back and told me what days he had openings on and I made an appointment so it really wasn't a walk in. However, you have to realize that JAN -APR is prime snowbird season and the Lazy days campground will probably be filled so classes will be tight for anyone--new buyers as well. If you know you are going to be in the area (I drove up from Marco Island 180 miles away) call and see if you can get in a class that meets with your schedule. I found it worth it and seeing the Lazy Days facility was amazing too.

Thanks everyone. I did download the instructions and there is no way I am going to attempt--I don't have the saw that is required for removing the metal in 2 places. I thought the 10 hrs of labor just for the base plate was crazy--disappointed a big dealer would over inflate the estimate 200%. Six additional hours at over $100 bucks an hour...I should at least get a gun stuck in my ribs and punched in the face for that kind of robbery. Now I know how they are paying for that fancy dealership. I emailed Blue Ox and asked them to recommend their best installer within 200 miles of me--they sent me the name of the place in my town so I will check with them. Being I have a Scion xB I would like to have someone doing it that has done one before--or at least several installations on other cars. Hat a CAT back exhaust installed on my car at a custom car shop and when it rubbed up against the trailer hitch I had they just bangs a dent in it with a hammer rather than bend the pipe to fit it. Custom doesn't always mean professional. Thanks again.

My insurance company said you can get a discount for an RV driver training course so I did some calling around. They are not cheap, on average $500 and one to two days. However, I called Lazy Days RV Center in Seffner FL and I got into the class called RV Driver Confidence Course taught by Bob Bergeran. It was a couple hours in the morning and then after lunch we went to the camp ground on the property and each student drove a 36 foot DP all around the campground using the tactics taught in the morning course. One of these was the DOT system they teach--involves measurement of your RV and placing small DOTs on the mirrors and windshield. All I can say is it is an amazing tool. The class size is small (10 students--8 that bought their RV at Lazy Days and 2 from outside) and the best part was it is FREE! I highly recommend this to anyone, new driver, man, woman, even old hands. I saw students that never drove an RV before wheel one around a campground like they knew what they were doing even with lots of expensive RVs and trucks and cars all around, parked and moving. If you get the chance DO IT!

I just bought a motor home. It came with the Blue Ox tow bar and a Brake Buddy. Now I need to get a base plate for my car (2009 Scion xB, 5 speed manual). I checked with an RV dealer and they quoted me just a few bucks shy of $2000 for the base plate, electrical kit, and toad battery charger wiring kit, and 10 hours of labor. Does this sound about right? I am in SW Florida. Am I better ordering parts myself and does anyone know someone in SW FL they would recommend to do the work? How hard is it to do myself (the kit says the from fascia of the car has to come off, and it has to be cut for the tow bar attachments. I am not all that crafty other than turning a wrench and following easy directions--I don't think I have the skills to figure out exactly where to measure and cut the holes in the front end bumper fascia, and a mistake would be costly. Appreciate anyone's input on any of the above ... Chief

You may find that the WI-FI in many campgrounds doesn't have the capacity to push streaming like Netflix and the like. It is like pushing water through a pipe--if only one person is at the end with a faucet they get all the water that can go through the pipe. If you add more people and faucets it reaches a point where the amount coming out at each faucet is less no matter how much pump pressure you add--only so much volume can fit in the pipe. I worked a seasonal job where they gave us free internet with WIFI. The first few days it was great, then when more employees showed up it took forever to open short streams even in emails and they would stop and start like crazy. You may have to go to a personal hotspot system.

I have a surge protector mounted in my electrical bay. Once you plug in it takes about 2 minutes to go through the checks system before there is any power to the coach. I sent the info on this to the person I just purchased the coach from and he says this is not needed as the surge protector will give fault indicators on the panel face and if something is wrong you unplug from the power. Since I am not an electrical wizard I am asking the "smarter than me" crowd, is this correct?

I have to say I have been reading 3 RV forums for the better part of a year and a half in my 3 year run up research to buying an RV. I am picking up a gently used one tomorrow, There is a ton of bad threads concerning extended warranties in all these forums and they come out in various threads (i.e extend warranty, equipment problems, service providers). I just got done reading one above about a guy that got charged to have his problem diagnosed under warranty and didn't get the problem fixed. He complained to the company CEO got promised a refund but has been waiting over a month to see a check or anything. Some times I wonder if the some of the posts recommending warranties are bogus (going from warranty sales persons). I am thinking it might be smarter to put the cost into a no touch account to be used only for emergencies repairs--you could even add to it each month. Then take care of your RV as the manufacture recommends and hope for the best. A lot depends on your level of risk, just like life insurance. If you are young with a family and kids, lots of responsibilities, you need a lot of insurance if you drop dead. If you are older, no real liabilities, you don't need life insurance. So I guess if you are living in your RV full time and would be homeless if something happened, you MIGHT need a warranty. Might because if you have another option(s) for living while it is repaired etc you may still not need a warranty. Sometimes when something goes wrong it is better to just replace it than to have it fixed. Warranties like to just fix the least expensive way, the least amount of parts knowing they may be doing another job on another part in few months or so--especially when you have deductibles.

Just wondering, can you use an Ooma internet phone with this? I have an coma in my S&B which connect wirelessly to my intranet and I have a house phone.

There are numerous books and articles out there to educate one's self on the vehicle buying process. As WC Field said, there is a sucker born every minute. And the old adage, let the buyer beware. I suggest anyone thinking of shopping for a vehicle ((car, motorcycle, RV,etc) do there homework and be prepared. Know the buying process, Know the terminology used by the dealers and the bank. Read what you are signing BEFORE you sign it. If you have to, write on the contract next to the deposit amount the terms of the deposit, "contingent upon financing at x% and x months or deposit refundable." The sales agreement/purchase order HAS to be signed by both the buyers and the sellers to be a legal document. If the dealership signs it they have to sell the vehicle to you at that price and terms or give you your depot back. DO NOT leave the dealership without a sales agreement signed by both parties, If they won't sign, get up take your deposit check and walk. If they refuse to give you your deposit check back call the bank immediately and cancel the check--then take them to small claims for your bank fees if any. It amazes me that people are willing to agree to deals worth thousands of dollars based on the salesman seemed like a nice person yet you didn't know him/her from Adam. Unless your background is sales in the vehicle industry, you are doing battle with a person who is skilled and possibly an expert at selling you something on their terms. All that being said, not all salesman and dealers are crooked or bad. If you are prepared and know you stuff and can talk with them on their terms, you can make the process easy as well as fair.

Changed in the '90's. I retired Jan 1, 1998 as CMSgt--I wore both stripes as they changed not long after I put on Chief. The reasoning was to make the USAF more like the other services as it was very confusing to them and the Gulf War saw more and more mixed or joint forces.