blakeloke

Joe, That's a real purdy Wrangler! I like it. Here's our new Jeep. Do we get to wave too? Probably doesn't apply to Wranglers but here's how we put the Grand Cherokee into tow mode: Start engine Place transmission into neutral. Hold disengage button down with a ballpoint pen for 4 seconds until transfer case disengages (you can hear it) and dash indicates "neutral". Place gear shift back into park. Shut off engine and hit the keyless start button twice to place into "off" position. Steering wheel doesn't lock but always test it.......habit from way back when I forgot to unlock the Ram truck steering wheel one day. We're on the maiden voyage of dragging the Grand Cherokee now. About 1,200 miles so far and it's been trouble free towing. We have a separate light kit with bulbs drilled into the rear taillights....had to do the same with the Ram truck. Umbilical provides taillights, turn signals and brake lights just like a trailer. the light kit is from Blue Ox if you want to peruse their website. Blake

Whoa....wait a sec! The more I look at it the more "confuser" I'm getting. 2002 brochure (above link) of RM8H chassis and model 40P** GVWR = 36,000 2004 brochure (above link) of RR8S chassis and model 40P** GVWR = 37,600 2005 brochure (our coach and brochure sitting next to me) RR8S chassis, Windsor 40PAQ GVWR = 34,600 I'm wondering why the difference in GVWR on basically the same chassis and coach length between 2004 and 2005? Blake

Joe, Here's the weight ratings for our coach: GVWR = 34,600. 2005 Monaco Windsor. I noted on the RM8H brochure (above link) that the GVWR of similar length coach is 36,000! 2002 Monaco Windsor. Big difference! Blake

Joe, Thanks for the reply. Our coach is a 2005 with production date of March 2005. I found the chassis serial ID but couldn't tell from the numbers if there was a resemblance to a model. Interestingly, I see dew markings on the side of the coach in the mornings. Well, mornings where the temperature is just right. And, I see the diagonal triangles you mention. Very similar to the first brochure. One reason why I'm wondering about our chassis is as you mentioned above that when you order something you get the wrong part, Same thing happened to me a few years ago when I ordered shocks. I got shocks that were the wrong application and had a hard time finding the right application. Oops...after I wrote the above, I went back to my files and found the original sticker. It does say RR8S! I really appreciate the learnings I get from this forum. Although we've had this coach for 11 years now I'm amazed at how much I still have to learn! My excuse is that werk got in the way of us really using it and learning how to maintain correctly.........now that we are gainfully unemployed our use of the coach and learning curve is exponential compared to the past 11 years. Blake

Joe, How did you figure out you had an RM8H chassis? Is there a Roadmaster tag on your chassis? I need to root around and look for our model tag. I went through our Monaco Owner's Manual last night and found some detailed care and feeding instructions in the manual. However, the manual doesn't reference the chassis model. I've always thought we had the RR8S chassis too and have only found reference to it in the sales brochure (we still have that). I'm thinking many of the instructions in the manual may be helpful as it references a lot of maintenance items you, Brett, Bill, Herman and others talk about all the time. I'm willing to take it to Kinko's to have a copy made and mail to you if you want. Haha....in that same file I found an '05 Dynasty brochure too. I'll mail it to anyone that has that model if they want it. Blake

Carl, Sorry for the delayed response. I didn't see your question until this morning. Not sure what style of wood yet. We'll go shopping with Ernie once we get up there. I think we want hand scraped and something to match the cherry wood cabinets. Blake

Wow, nice documentation of your repair and excellent results! Thank you for sharing. Blake

Ditto on RVFogDr. We were there earlier this month to have three fogged dual pane windows repaired. They quickly and efficiently removed the windows and separated the panes. They were able to perfectly repair one of the windows but the others were so badly pitted (on the inside panes) that they couldn't get them perfect. So, they ordered the new glass and we'll stop by there next time through there for install. We found them to be very courteous and professional. To boot.......hookups for the night of arrival and an extremely clean and air conditioned shop that your coach is in whilst the windows are out! Blake

Raptor, Our setup (05 Monaco Windsor) is as John states above. Fresh water fill to tank is via fresh water hose that supplies house water. There is an Atwood two way valve that either sends water to the tank or to the coach systems. We also have a waste tank clean out hose bib. If you have that hooked up and water on without opening your sewer dump valves you'll have a nasty mess rather quickly. We can also fill our fresh water tank by opening the cap of the tank and fill via hose. Blake

Keon, Glad you are looking at pushers (at least look and drive). Earlier this month we parked next to a couple that use to have a diesel pusher similar to ours. He downsized to a newer smaller gasser because he thought that would be easier on him as he was getting older. He sacrificed and missed many of the amenities that pushers sometimes offer. Such as, fresh water hose and shore power reels. His largest complaint was that he and his wife could not carry on a conversation when going down the highway. He said the engine was just too loud. The next morning we bade our farewells and he told me he was going back home to look for another pusher. Blake

Hahaha....Deb took that picture of my bald head! Good thing the smoker and coach distracted you all from it. I bet you all didn't even notice. Ribs and brisket Joe!

Thanks! Same back at you! Now I need to figure out how folks are able to embed a picture within a posting dialog. Like Ernie did of the entry way he worked on. Lemme try this (race week at Talledega).

Good advice Joe.....uploaded my first pic today! Thanks!

Bgreen, Probably better experts on this forum than I with respect to your question but here is what we were told when we upgraded ....... In February we upgraded our satellite and entertainment system. Not because we were having issues with Direct TV or locking onto a satellite but because the old system was so complex, both TVs were tube style and the rear one was not working (some other annoyances also). Plus, our old system did not receive HD signals. Fast forward when we met with the technician (he specializes in RV installations) he told us that sometime this year Direct TV was going to change their format and our old system would have trouble working if at all. So, we opted for the Wineguard Trav'ler, HD flatscreen TVs, and new over the air antenna to replace the crank up. We're totally happy with the entire set-up and have only had one issue with the Trav'ler. It got stuck when trying to stow in the down position. Simple call to the installer and he sent me a recalibration procedure that worked fine. I'm not sure what changes Direct TV did but you may need a new receiver. Give Sats2Go (Houston, TX.) they may be able to explain a little better or help you with your existing problem. Blake

Ernie, Your workmanship is awesome and the entry looks fantastic! Yesterday Deb and I were talking about how we want our entry done. I think we have the answer! See you in November. Blake

Actually could be a battery issue. The Float Charge reading of 13.4v may be reading the output of your charger. We had similar issue a few years back. Does pushing the engine battery assist switch and generator start switch work for you? I seem to remember doing that but it's been a few years and beers ago. Blake

Daveglynn, We just went through that exercise last week. We started with the FMCA 2016 Tow Guide and shortlisted a few vehicles. For our needs those that made our shortlist were: Chevy Equinox, Chevy Colorado, Ford f-150 and the Grand Cherokee. We had the sales folks demonstrate how to put each of the vehicles in "tow" mode except for the Equinox (dealer didn't have one in stock). Long story, we selected the Grand Cherokee and are in the process of installing the base plates and lights. To me it was a fun exercise as I like buying vehicles. Others maybe not so much fun! Blake

Ah.....thanks Brett. That clarifies for me. We encountered a pretty severe hail storm close to Van Horn last fall and had to pull in to make minor repairs and assess damage. But, we did find a campground to stay at. Owners were nice and cordial and our Passport of America discount afforded us a $15/night stay. Blake

Thanks Rich.....I remember you saying that before but it didn't resonate until just now. Will do!!! Blake

Thanks guys, We do have a furnace under our 1200 and I haven't been able to find a residential that will fit the smaller space while leaving the furnace intact. But, if I want to go totally non-propane (not sure yet) then there isn't much use for the furnace. But, we don't have Aquahot and would be relying on our heat pumps and space heaters during cold weather. Our 1200 works fine now but I'm a bit leery about the safety issue with these things. After list of other mods are done I'll start looking into making a change to see if it's feasible. Blake.

Wish I could answer your question Carl but I'm no expert there and don't know the stat. I'd like to work towards modifying our coach to "non-propane" but have to find the refrigerator that will fit our space. We have the model number of Joe's fridge and will start from there. Blake

Folks, Yesterday in the mail we received a card from the US District Court for the Central District of California regarding the settlement for owners & previous owners of the refrigerators listed above. Lots of fine print on the small 3"x5" card but the website below has readable information and a claims form. Note: claims must be filed before August 26th. https://www.norcoldclassaction.com/home.aspx In summary there is a $36 million fund that will be divided to claimants in four payments. Not sure if we'll get more than a $1.98 but I thought I'd share the wealth! Blake

Joe, I think you're gonna have a fun exercise in static loading once you get axle and corner weights! I think it was a good thing to convert your coach to "non-propane" and remove the tank. I'm not an expert on this but once you get weights and adjust your tire pressures and the front end still seems squirrely, you may want to shift some weight into your new storage compartment where the propane tank was. Imagine a "see saw" with that huge engine being the kid that was always bigger than you when you were young. So in effect you'll be shifting weight towards the front to counteract potential tail wag. Just a thought. If all you had was a plug on the bottom of the tank you didn't miss anything as far as maintenance goes. Unless there was an isolation valve, drain bottle and a final valve then you could have drained liquid from the bottom of the tank. Vapor pressure of propane is ~60 to ~170 psi at temps from 60F to 100F. Pretty high pressures and very volatile! When we performed maintenance on our tanks (50,000 gal) we pumped out the propane into one of several others and isolated the one we needed to clean, recoat or repair. LPG vapors went to a vapor compressor for recycle before we opened the system up. Kay, Another possibility. I never thought about the mercaptan thing (we called it stinko! ). We were the ones who metered it into the LPG or natural gas on the way out of storage or to the pipelines. We only found lube oil in the bottoms of our vessels. Blake