tbutler
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Posts posted by tbutler
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That looks like a Thursday afternoon. I should be able to make this one! I'm looking forward to it.
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I've had a Brakemaster system for the entire 17 years and 200,000+ miles on two coaches, two different toads. No complaints, works fine for me. I have their breakaway system installed as well.
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If the power source is perfect 120V we can run two air conditioners on 30A but that is all. That put us right at the limit, about 27 or 28 amps. Any more the EMS will cut off one or the other. I suspect it depends on the specific model of air conditioner you have and of course it depends on the charge status of your batteries and any other loads that may affect your usage level.
If you can run only one, at a time what Herman recommends will work fine. You can also do the generator thing on the 7 to 11 schedule. Keep the coach cool during the day and night temperatures may allow you to "coast" through the night or even open a few windows. Of course in mid to late July, it could be quite hot and humid during the nights. That's when we break out our Vornado floor fan.
The first time we did one of these conventions we learned a lot about the limits of our coach. It made us much more confident for moving off the grid for periods of time. Look at it as a learning experience.
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And here I had put the air bags on my don't worry list! Glad to have the information safely filed away. Hope I never have to use it...
And by the way, don't call her older, she's a Classic! They don't build them like this anymore!
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When we bought our first (used) RV, all the tires were the same date. I replaced the whole set at seven years age. Ouch, that hit the pocket hard. Over time, occasional flat tires, making replacements a few at a time, I arrived at a replacement schedule that works for me. When one tire in a dual set goes flat, the other tire in the set carries almost double the weight it should be carrying. That damages that tire. If you are driving and you can't stop immediately, that tire will likely be damaged beyond safe use. When this happens I replace both tires. But I put the new tires on the front axle and move the tires that were on the front to the rear, replacing the dual set that had the flat and damaged mate. Now, I do this on a regular schedule. Every two years I replace two tires, putting them on the front. I move the used front tires to the rear alternating from one side to the other. My oldest tires should be six years old and they are located in a dual set. My steer tires are always two years or less in age.
I had a flat tire on the front one time, I hope I never have that happen again. Fortunately damage was minor but I wasn't able to maintain complete lane control and if a vehicle had been passing me it could have been a disaster. I've purchased tire monitors and watch my tire pressures carefully and have still experienced flat tires. Once on the rear it was a complete surprise, the tire monitor didn't sound an alarm until after the tire blew. Other times I've run over road debris, a cargo hook and just a small screw. In both those cases, the tire alarm allowed me to stop before the tire went completely flat.
This pattern of tire replacement reduces the impact on the wallet, two are far cheaper than six. It also keeps relatively new fresh tires on the front, steer axle, where they are a most critical component of safe steering. On the down side, it does require mounting two new tires and remounting the other two tires and balancing all four if you balance your dual tires. It means a visit to the tire shop every two years, never my favorite day. It is working for me.
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We do pretty much the same thing as mentioned in previous posts. When we start out on a trip like this, we may decide to alter our route along the way for one reason or another. Sometimes we decide to stay a little longer in one place, other times we may decide to skip a visit to get us to our destination on time. If a location turns out interesting we may contact the office early in the morning and extend our stay, a day or a week. This gives us near total freedom in our travels. We also exercise the option to park overnight with no hookups which can open up more options for stops along the way. It really is a gypsy lifestyle, rolling along, discussing our next stop and what we want to see. Usually sometime after lunch we'll gauge our rate of travel and if we want or need to be in a park for the night we'll pull out our information sources and start looking at RV parks in the vicinity of our planned overnight stop. This way we can adjust for those days when we're just tired of driving and want a little more rest time. At other times, we're close to being able to get to a desired location if we drive a little longer we can spend an extra day there.
If there is a location or feature that we definitely want to stay for a while we'll make a reservation ahead of time. That can be a few days ahead as we are getting close or if we know it to be a popular resort location, or a holiday is coming up, we'll reserve weeks ahead. There are occasional compromises with this method of travel. The nicest park in the area may not be available and you may end up in a park which is "substandard" for your tastes but then it is only for a night. We did this at the Grand Canyon last summer. We had no advance reservations, called the day before our arrival and got a park. It turned out to be a real dud, couldn't open slides on one site, no usable electric at another site. So we started looking for another site further from the south rim. The next nice park was full. Still further south, we found a park with a vacancy. It was getting toward sunset and Walmart was beginning to look like our only option for the night. That park turned out to be a real nice find. We had to drive the toad further to get to the Grand Canyon but we extended our stay, spent time in that town, Williams, and toured other features in the area. We even made a stop there on the way back east and spent a day at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. That turned out to be another highlight of our trip that we hadn't even thought of doing in making our earlier plans.
Later on this trip we visited the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We stayed at a US Forest Service campground with no hookups. Following that we booked into a park for a long weekend just to get our laundry washed and get a some rest from several weeks of heavy driving. We made an impromptu visit to Zion Canyon during that stay. Got to experience a thunderstorm while hiking in the canyon (not in a flood zone). There is nothing like thunder in Zion Canyon. Just one more bonus item I didn't even know was on my bucket list. One of Louise's favorite quotes, "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving."
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I wouldn't say there isn't such a benefit but there is nothing I can find under the benefits tab on the FMCA main page.
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On 5/19/2017 at 6:35 PM, WILDEBILL308 said:I must be lucky. I tow 4 down now and I can't find any damage chips etc that can be directly attributed to towing. I would never tow a toad with any kind of cover on it. dust and dirt will get under it and destroy the paint. The buffeting of the cover acts like a big sander.
Bill
You are correct about the cover. When we got a new toad a few years ago I didn't do the cover. The first was installed prior to a trip to Alaska. I put a bra on the front of the motor home for that trip as well.
As to the chips, I'm not easy on my equipment. I'm in it to get the most out of the travel. The current toad has been to Newfoundland and around the horn in Labrador. Newfoundland wasn't a problem but Labrador is a route that I really wouldn't recommend for the faint-hearted and would never do again until they have paved the entire route. We stirred up a whole lot of gravel and some of it pelted the toad. We did get to see a whole lot of wilderness scenery and learned a lot about Labrador in the process.
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Roadrunner 2, with our 2012 GMC Acadia, the procedure sounds similar. We follow the manufacturer directions to the letter. I pull fuses (2) as specified. We also have a required start and run before driving. Our ignition key is supposed to be set in accessory position as opposed to the off position. Yes, we lose the clock on the radio but the preset stations are still there. We've never had the problem mentioned above regarding lights which just points out the variations that occur between model years.
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What gauge is working? If the odometer reading doesn't show up, how do you know it is working?
I would contact the manufacturer, American Coach, (800) 435 - 7345. They are part of the REV Group now.
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For everything from campgrounds to Walmart, gas stations to rest areas, the ALLSTAYS Camp and RV app ($9.99 at the Apple Ap Store, also available for Android) is my go-to resource. It will show map location and give directions to any resource. You can even monitor your progress on the map as you drive to any resource. It also has reviews from people who have stayed at any location (including Walmart) and others. It indicates which Walmart's allow overnight parking and which don't.
We do use RVParkReviews.com and an old paper copy of the Good Sam Campground directory occasionally. We also have a recent copy of the Next Exit which is useful only for interstate highway travel.
For fuel, we use the Gas Buddy app. It has current prices, map locations and directions to the station of your choice.
Yes, this is an old post brought back to life. There is a limit to how many resources can be shown on a paper map. One look at a resource like RVParkReviews.com or at ALLSTAYS Camp and RV will show you that there are hundreds of campgrounds that aren't listed in even a large book like the Good Sam directory. Some of those are not RV campgrounds but others are. Ditto with any other resource, Sam's Club, Walmart, Camping World, the list could go on and on. The information is there for anyone to access. The problem with paper is it's limitation in the information that it can convey. Digital is virtually (pun intended) unlimited. Not connected from your current location? Plan ahead, access the internet before leaving the digital world.
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We used a tow dolly for our first year out. I sold it and have been flat towing ever since. There is one negative for flat towing that I see mentioned only once. Your "toad" will take a beating. I've used a custom canvas cover (Coastline Cover Company, 10096 6th St Ste L, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 · (909) 484-6592) and a Guardian (front of car barrier from Brakemaster) and the car will still take a beating. Think what it would be like if you were stuck to the back of a tractor-trailer rig. We keep our cars until they are well worn and just live with the chips, etc. Our trade in value when we are ready to change vehicles (ten years old, 120,000 miles in tow and another 120,000 under power) is virtually $0. Well used and money well spent but definitely spent. I have a friend who trades his toad every two or three years, I don't know what kind of trade-in he gets.
I agree that trailers are a challenge to deal with and they definitely are not in our future. We move frequently when traveling. If we didn't travel frequently then finding a place to park the trailer wouldn't be a constant hassle. That might make it a better choice for people who move only two or three times a year.
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Our first winter out we stopped in San Antonio for a month (December). It's a lovely town and I enjoy visiting on our way into and out of the RGV (Rio Grande Valley). That first visit we decided the weather was cooler than we wanted so we continued on south to the RGV and have been staying there ever since. We've made Edinburg our home. After spending eight winters living in the motor home, we put a mobile home in a park there. We park our motor home next to our mobile which is very convenient. Each spring we pick up and head north to visit with family and tour parts of the US and Canada we haven't yet seen.
Winter in the RGV is mild, seldom more than a couple of days below freezing. Winter type weather (cooler, cloudy) is usually confined to the months of December, January and February. We've experienced wet winters and dry winters. This last year the winter was mostly the month of November and we had pretty mild conditions after that. There is always a breeze in the RGV. Frequently it is a Texas sized breeze. Typically we're playing golf in 15 to 20 mile per hour winds. Even more fun is playing tennis in that kind of wind.
The cost of living is very reasonable in the area. I just wrote a check for our annual lot rental. We are paying less than $300 per month (less than $3600) for an annual contract. RV lots are less expensive but if not on an annual contract the price will higher than the annual rate. Of course those rates vary from park to park depending on the facilities they offer. There are over 50 RV parks to choose from in the area with a range of conveniences from almost none to very nice full service parks. Many of the parks have a regular program of recreation, entertainment and social events throughout the winter months.
We are just 80 miles from South Padre Island if we want sea coast. There are several RV parks on SPI. The McAllen/Mission/Edinburg/Pharr area is one large metropolitan area with all the stores and restaurants you would expect. There are numerous nature areas featuring the unique wildlife found along the southern border. The area is famous for the many birds and butterflies that cross the border and are found nowhere else in the US. There is a new performing arts center in McAllen and there are traveling shows regularly scheduled into the center.
You should at least come spend a few days or weeks in the RGV just to see the area. We came to try it out for a few days and found a home base. I always recommend that you book into a park for whatever length of time you are comfortable with and then go exploring to see other parks and their facilities. There are so many choices available you should be able to find a "fit" among them.
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You have just started driving a large vehicle. It will take some time to get comfortable handling your motor home in the close quarters you find in gas stations. Travel centers at truck stops often have more open pump areas. I would stick to the larger stations until you feel comfortable maneuvering around multiple vehicles and other obstructions. Look for stations where you can drive straight through for the initial fill-ups.
I've been driving a motor home towing a car for seventeen years. I've developed an eye for stations that I can get into and out of without having to disconnect. Now I look more for the best prices not far from my intended route of travel. Usually low priced stations are grouped together (competition) so I frequently have several stations in the area with comparable prices. If one isn't good, I'll look at the next one.
As I posted recently, one scraped panel on the motor home isn't worth a few cents savings on fuel. Until you are comfortable going into smaller stations, stay with the larger ones.
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We've been using a water softener for three years now and mysteriously our sensors are working again!
Don't bad-mouth electric toilets. Our Thetford Aria Deluxe II is now almost 14 years old with only a couple of visits to the toilet doctor. Works great, very durable. We go almost 2 weeks on a 40 gallon black water tank. If you have a problem with an electric, name it.
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The shower is the problem because we stand under it. Louise runs water for dish washing. When she turns on the hot water, it starts cold and then goes hot. The result is water as warm as she wants it. I tried to mix the water from the bath faucet and when I got it comfortable to the feel, the water heater shut off. So the shower isn't different than the faucets in that respect.
The shower is a single control, turning it off with the main valve works fine. Any way you turn it off, the water heater shuts off. Then when it is turned back on, you have some hot water in the line. To get the water heater started you have to run it on full hot, then turn it down when the hot water comes through again. The problem is when the water is adjusted to a comfortable temperature, the hot water flow isn't enough to keep the water heater working and the water from the water heater is cold which mixes with the cold water very well but doesn't mix with me.
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No, Herman, it isn't a pressure problem. And yes, jleamont, I know that you run full hot to get the water heater started. When we bring in the cold water to balance the hot the amount (volume) of cold water needed to get a nice warm shower (even with Louise's version of a nice warm shower which is at least 10 degrees warmer than mine) reduces the hot water flow (the shower head will only allow so much water through those little holes). We are on a private pump at my daughters house in Missouri at present, plenty of pressure. We were on the water pump for a week last week while in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. Neither worked for us. As soon as we get enough cold water into the mix the hot water flow drops below minimum and the water heater shuts off. If you increase the total flow then you have problems with a rapidly filling grey water tank.
The only possible solution I can see is to check and verify that the low flow sensor is working properly. If it is working as designed then the water heater is not satisfactory for our use. I'm making plans to go back to the standard 10 gallon water heater.
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I had a tankless water heater installed during the winter. We have been living with it for two weeks now. I spent an hour on the phone with technical help last week. I'm still trying to get satisfactory service from mine. It is a Precision Temp RV550. It requires a minimum water flow to activate. Even with a proper minimum flow, it sometimes does not light. There is a pressure sensor for the exhaust fan, adjusting that has taken care of the problem most of the time. The diagnosis for this, the tech had me just hold my hand in front of the exhaust port and the back pressure was enough to light the unit. I suggest you contact the manufacturer of your water heater and spend some time on the phone (or take it to a service center) and get it adjusted to function properly.
My current problem is in adjusting the temperature down low enough so I don't have to add huge amounts of cold water to the shower. If too much cold water is added, the minimum flow of the hot water is below the minimum for the hot water heater and then it shuts off, instant cold shower! So far no help from technical help on this one. I'm beginning to think that this type of water heater is not suitable for RV's. I think there may be issues with the quantity of water needed to operate the water heater and the need to conserve water volume in the grey waste tank. Technical help began by suggesting that we run a hot water faucet while showering to keep the minimum hot water flow high enough to keep the water heater operating. That was a non-starter!
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On 3/30/2017 at 7:41 AM, FIVE said:One of the problems with the newer coaches is that they have put in the nice electric toilets, but have not increased the size of the black tanks. In our last coach, with the older toilets, we could go well over a week without dumping the black tank...now it is half that.
Our electric (Thetford Aria Deluxe II) has two settings, one for regular, like house use, and another minimum water use for RV use. With ours set on RV, we (two of us) go for two weeks before needing to empty the black water tank (40 gallons).
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If you are thinking short periods of time when you don't use it, a few hours to a day, leave it on. If you are thinking longer than that,turn it off. It takes about 15 minutes to heat up the standard 10 gallon RV water heater so you can have hot water on short notice. When we were full time we usually left the hot water heater on unless we were going to be out of the motor home for a while.
It is very important that you turn the water heater off while fueling if you are using it on gas. If on electric only, it won't hurt to leave it on while fueling.
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I am one that believes the best person to service a Cummins engine is a Cummins shop. I usually go to a regional service center, preferably one that is a Coach Care Center. They will have electricity hook-ups available and are aware of motor home owners concerns. Yes, the price will be a little higher but I don't like to go cheap on preventive maintenance. Considering your investment in your coach, what is a few hundred dollars to make sure that the engine gets proper care. You will be certain of OEM parts and they give the engine a thorough inspection. If you get all fluids and filters replaced, the cost will be much greater than I see quoted above. At Cummins they can test fluids like the coolant and may save you money by testing to assure you that it meets their standards.
I go to Freightliner for chassis work but Cummins does my engine work.
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I haven't been to this campground but RV Park Reviews has a listing. There are several reviews from people who have stayed there.
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I know the concern comes from membership numbers and a desire to keep membership high to support a full-service organization. It is, I think apparent to all that the motor home industry continues to produce far fewer motor homes than during the peak years. The reasons for this are not complicated. Fewer people are able to purchase motor homes. The cost of motor home ownership has risen faster than salaries and many people who are currently retiring are not beneficiaries of stable well-funded retirement plans. Not many people on Social Security are buying motor homes. So, if we restrict membership to motor home owners we will necessarily have fewer members.
To the idea of attracting younger members. This is always good for an organization. In our case, almost anyone would qualify as a younger member. The truth is that I could never have afforded a motor home before I retired and supplemented my retirement with another job. That alone allowed me to go shopping for a motor home. Prior to that time, I had done extensive tent camping with my family. When I married Louise she had a favorite saying, “Her idea of roughing it was staying at a Holiday Inn.” That set an expectation of a higher standard of travel and camping than I had done previously. I did manage to get her out on some canoe camping trips on a few of Missouri’s southern streams. She was a good sport about it. Clearly, if I was going to do more than a short trip now and then, Louise was going to want something better than a tent. So, at age 55 I came to RV ownership in the form of a used motor home. Before that time I had neither the disposable income to purchase nor the free time to use a motor home.
My daughter, now approaching 50, and her family purchased a pull-behind camper several years ago. They may well be on their way to motor home ownership some day. Of our four children, they are the only family that owns an RV at this time. My youngest sister, also about 50, and her husband have just moved from a Class B motor home he used primarily for mobile work assignments to a Class A and are about to take it on the road for the first time. So, the history for our family is 50+ for motor home travel.
It is true that we have much in common with other segments of the RV industry. We also have distinct differences from towable RV’s. I started with membership in several RV organizations when we purchased our motor home. I still am a Good Sam member, primarily for the campground discounts. I dropped my membership in Escapees when numerous articles in their newsletter expressed hostility to motor homes and motor home owners. There exists in that organization a portion of the membership which frowns upon anyone who isn’t boondocking. It was the kind of “we’re better than they are” attitude that will quickly divide an organization. We see a little of that sometimes from Class A, Class B and Class C owners within FMCA. Once in a while someone expresses a feeling of being left out. Families traveling with children have expressed this feeling of exclusion in FMCA magazine articles and rallies. In each case, FMCA members have pulled together to try to make everyone feel valued as members. Criticism is welcome if it is constructive. Hostility will divide and destroy an organization.
I believe that FMCA has a unique organization that addresses the specific interests and needs of motor home owners. I think it would be to the detriment of the organization to try to expand to include towable RV’s in the membership. Welcome them to rallies as visitors but keep membership to owners of motor homes. As membership declines the organization will necessarily have to adjust but that happens.
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There are some nice places around Santa Fe, NM, elevation 7199 feet. This was the first capital of New Mexico. There are numerous artists in the area and at Taos, about an hours drive from Santa Fe. You are also about one hour from Albuquerque which is a much larger town with air service and all the big name stores and restaurants. We stayed at a large park south of Santa Fe, Santa Fe Skies. This link is direct to the park.
It is about a five minute drive from downtown Santa Fe. I don't know if this will fit your resort category but I think I could spend some time here and look at what else is available in the area in the meantime.
Another area with many summer residents is in southern Colorado along highway 160 in the San Luis Valley around Alamosa and to the west. There are many parks at elevations near and above 7000 feet. We've not stayed there but have driven through the area several times. Again, I don't know if any of those parks will meet your definition of a resort.
Best Car for Towing
in Toads-Towed Behind Motorhome
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We're towing a GMC Acadia, before that a Chevy Trailblazer. Both were six passenger vehicles. For us, a 6 passenger vehicle comes in handy and when not hauling friends, we fold the rear seats down use it as our gym locker. Things like the golf clubs, hiking gear, tennis racquets, bicycle tire and seats, etc. Both had a 2" receiver for a solid bicycle rack. Everyone is different, if a 4 or 5 seater works for you, then that is the best for you. The Trailblazer was a 4WD and I miss that with the current Acadia but we only used it occasionally. The Towing Guide in the January issue of the FMCA Magazine (on line here) has information. Always verify this with the owners manual or with the manufacturer as sometimes they change their mind after a specific vehicle has been towed for a while.