blakeloke

I haven't had a speeding ticket since high school and try to stay at or below the posted limit. But, one small town comes to mind when I used to travel from Houston to Tyler/Van/Carthage regularly (East Texas via hwy. 59). That town is Tanaha. We still go up that way and I try to anticipate the ever changing speed limits to avoid getting in trouble. Here's a listing of Texas Speed traps. Some are older and others are recent. http://www.speedtrap.org/state/45/Texas Blake

Morning Joe, Our generator shuts down when our dash fuel gauge reads 1/4 of a tank (now). When we bought the coach we had to have the manufacturer recalibrate the gauge as it would read "full" for 400 miles or so. I start hunting down fuel when the gauge just gets below 1/2 tank. I know doing so requires me to stop more frequently but I like the insurance of having plenty of fuel in case there's an issue where I need to "dry camp".....ie. breakdown or "tired of driving & let's overnight at this Walmart". At home.....I always pull into the garage with a full tank and have several 5 gallon diesel cans on the ready. With hurricanes and flooding I want to be prepared for extended power outages. Blake

Bruce, I shoot for 50 lbs. The regulator gizmo I have is adjustable with two outlets. I can send you a pic if you want. I'll try to add one on this thread but I haven't had luck doing so. If you want send me a PM with your email address. Blake

Bruce, This happens to us when the supplied water pressure is too high. Water leaks through the two way valve into the storage tank. I have a regulator and gauge that I install at the bib when pressure is too high. Blake

Agree with Rich & Obed......although you see some big rigs using super singles, most have not. As Rich mentions, the security of having four tires on the rear axle allows one to limp off to the side of the road or safe spot in the event of a blow-out is good security for me. I think one would have to put a lot of miles on their coach for an economic payout given the cost of the tires and new wheels. Blake

Mike, Not sure if you have to push a button to turn your exhaust brake on but you can check to see if they activate your brake lights by having someone follow you. Just let off the accelerator without using your service lights. If I turn on our engine brake, the brake lights come on the moment I fully let off the accelerator. I can't speak to the Invisibrake question because we use Blue Ox. But, I've adjusted our Blue Ox so that if I just let off the accelerator the Blue Ox won't activate our toad brakes. You may want to read up on Camping World here in Houston. We use Action RV up here in Conroe. They are fantastic and very knowledgeable. Finally, I know the Buc'ees you speak of........I call all of the Buc'ees a "destination" gas station! Safe Travels and hope the storms have left you high and dry. Blake

Joe, I usually store our MH in the garage (level) but carry a set of homemade ramps like ones Wayne pictured above. This is in case the campground is so out of level that our bags won't level. Backing uphill onto the ramps can be tough. What I do is back further than where I want to park, place the ramps in front of the tires I want to raise, then drive forward onto them. Blake

Hold My Beer and Watch This!!!!!

To me, this sounds like your switch at the door has gone bad. Same exact thing happened to us.....everything would work if I held the switch down. Went to RV supply store, bought a new switch, and all worked fine. I carry a spare now. Blake

Ray, Great video with background music and speed recorder! How in the world did you get that posted? Now, I have another challenge to figure out. Safe travels......Blake

AFISHHAWK, Glad you found the problem. I had similar issue with our coach leveling system not leveling, and when level, going out of kilter after a day being parked. Long story short (my previous posts) we replaced several things. First was the Air Dryer and Filter. Second was the air leveling manifold. Finally, the Air Governor. Each of those helped a bit but none totally solved our issues until the replacement of the Air Governor. Best thing was that there are some real experts on this Forum that helped us diagnose and repair. I'm still looking for a small leak somewhere upstream of the air leveling system (again with the help of some of the experts here) but frustration level is WAY down now that the coach stays level when parked. Sorry I hadn't logged on sooner - we are at Talledega for the races - and when I started reading your post my first thought was the Air Governor. Blake

Similar frustrations here about Windows, regular forced updates and Windows 10. Funny thing about the Windows 10 upgrade for me was that it came at the same time the FMCA Forum upgraded! Talk about teaching an old dog new tricks! I had to go through the Windows 10 upgrade twice. First time it partially loaded and toasted my operating system. Had to completely reset my computer back to original (lost files) then go through a days worth of installs and finally Windows 10 install. All good now! Next computer will be a Mac. Blake

Joe, Was just perusing the Passport America campground book and found French Quarter RV Resort listed. So, if you are a Passport America member you can get a site for $48 a night. Everyone else pays $96. Holidays and weekends don't apply though. Our Passport America membership cost $45 (if I remember correctly). So, payout in this case is a one night stay there! Blake

Hey Joe, We've stayed at the French Quarter RV park several times. Pricey but extremely secure and close to the Quarter. The center of the Quarter is just a couple of blocks from the park. Sometimes we're able to get the park employees to take us there via golf cart. During the day, its an easy walk and safe. After an evening in the Quarter we hire a horse and buggy and have them drop us off at the park. Cost is usually around $20 plus tip. Last time we were there one of the US Naval Fleets were in town. It was awesome to see and visit with all the sailors and Marines (our daughter served in the Navy). They were on their best behavior and having a ball. We've also taken the river dinner cruise. That was a lot of fun and very informative. Navigating through town is easy and we've never had a problem with our 40' Monaco and toad. You will have to unhook before parking if you get a space on the "wall" because you'll be backing in. There's a nice club house and pool area with BBQ grills that you can use. Have fun........!! Blake

Hi Trish, For an overnighter, if Walmart or Sam's isn't a choice, we look for a "non-destination" RV park. KOA's have both but prices can be high. We have a membership with Passport America. http://passportamerica.com/ Membership costs $45 annually but once a member you get 50% off the regular rate. Payout is pretty quick. Blake

Ron, Are you reading 12.7 volts with your battery charger attached and on? 12.7 volts is not fully charged. Given you get dash lights when you hit your battery boost my first guess is you have a bad chassis battery. Do your have a "fluke" style tester? Are you able to get your generator started? How old is your chassis battery (s) and what is the condition? Blake

Some good points regarding monitoring system vitals. I have a Mini Max tuner for the Dodge Ram which has a 6.7 Cummins. I keep the setting on the HUD so I can watch EGTs. On the coach I often toggle over on the information screen to monitor vitals vs. what I see on the dash gauges. However, I don't have EGT for the coach. From a West Texas Hill Country speed and overheating perspective: Some of those hills are merely slight inclines to a regular car or truck. But, to our big coaches one cannot expect to climb all of them at regular cruising speed. I monitor my RPMs and temperatures and if that means going slower......so be it. Fuel consumption will be better if you do that. So, watch the 18 wheelers. There is a reason they are climbing those "hills" at 45 mph. Blake

Joe, The air dryer was replaced in January.

I probably carry more tools than I need but I have the usual assortment of household tools and a Craftsman mechanics set that is about 1/2 the size that Joe carries. If I need a tool that I don't have we go hunt it down in the toad. I also carry my Fluke meter, Gorilla tape and zip ties. A must for us that no one has mentioned.....is a wine bottle cork screw and a beer bottle opener! Blake

Bill, I'll check the governor manufacturer tomorrow. Haldex comes to mind but I'm not sure. My engine is a Cummins ISL and the governor is mounted directly to the compressor. Long story short, I'm still chasing a leak, or leaks somewhere. Fortunately the coach stays level now (Firestone leveling manifold - wasn't cheap) so the leak is isolated to the main air system. I've tested the valves and fittings that Joe mentions above and they appear to be okay. Also soaped the fittings around the front air receiver. No luck yet. Next, I'll start tracing individual lines from the dryer and downstream. Might be able to do this in the next day or two.....if not....I'm confident we'll be okay on the road as pressure holds steady at 120 psi when the engine is running. We have plans to be in Talledaga for the races so I may just have to live with it for that trip! Blake

Joe, After spending the previous 4 years up there I cannot express how I am glad to be back home in Texas! I know we have it good down here.....specially when I'm sitting on the back patio drinking my coffee every morning and looking at the flowers and wildlife. Buddy of mine from St Clairsville OH sent a picture of the snow he got last night......I sent him a picture of the green grass here! We have a local RV repair facility that is extremely good. They know their way around the complex systems and treat our coach as if it was theirs. The owner actually has a Dynasty that she keeps in tip top shape. They are very busy and sometimes the wait list is so long that if takes a few weeks to get in. The wait is well worth it from the Big Dealer we used to use. Blake

Hey Tal and Marissa, Looks like you'all are still motoring around. Hope all is well. Have you tried a campground for storage? Some may have overflow storage without having to rent a spot at full daily prices. Blake and Deb.....btw. The wine was excellent!

We just replaced our 2005 Monaco Windsor headlight assemblies. Action RV (Conroe TX) cross referenced them to a late 90's (believe 1998) Lincoln Navigator. Just looked up the pricing on CARID.com http://www.carid.com/1998-lincoln-navigator-factory-headlights/ and they list out at $116 to $145. Blake

Guys....I think one of Carroll.87 previous posts indicated the coach was an '05 Monaco Knight. Our same year Windsor the ignition key must be in the "off" position before moving the slides. Carroll.87. Sounds like you replaced your chassis batteries to get the coach started? Did you change out your house batteries too? What other 12V systems work or don't work lights, fridge, water pump? Blake

We initially looked at Thousand Trails when we bought our coach. If I remember right it was close to Edwards AFB in the Mojave Desert. We were given 3 nights free but had to attend an introductory sales meeting. The meeting was informative but the reps were hard core and pushy. That turned us off so we, as politely as possible, declined. Parents had joined Coast to Coast several years prior. Their campground was at the West entrance to Yosemite. We spent a lot of time there and had a ball on every trip. Now, when traveling, we look for "destination" campgrounds or overnight campgrounds. Depends on what we are doing and current plans. We enjoy KOA's because we know what we're getting and the staff is usually very helpful and friendly. Destination campgrounds are more expensive but we like them because we can get a meal, cocktails and limited groceries like milk and bread. I don't think we've missed much by not having a membership....... Blake