tbutler

Welcome Shelby and Tom, If you are like us, the full time adventure will become so enjoyable that finding a spot for a home base will take a while. Enjoy the adventure as long as it suits you. Welcome to the FMCA Forum.

So many amazing things to see. Now were making second passes and looking for some of the things we didn't take time to see on the first pass. It helps to have others making suggestions. Sometimes like the Old Arvada Tavern and the Sheridan Rodeo, it takes us out of our normal pattern of travel and into places or things we wouldn't normally try without a recommendation or other incentive to go there.

Obedb Said: "Research the Slumgullion Slide. Formed Lake San Cristobal. " Great post! I wasn't familiar with this slide. I'll have to put it on my must see list. The thing that makes this so interesting is that while the lake was formed 600 to 800 years ago, the slide continues to move. It is a mass of loose materials which are slowly creeping downhill. If you google this there is a US Geological Survey article on recent studies of the movement. You could think of this as a kind of dirt glacier, slowly sliding down the mountainside.

Please re-read, we were there when they opened the visitors center. I just checked the date, it was 2008. That is the year the visitors center was opened.

I'm guessing that little bitty end loader wouldn't budge those rocks. There may also be problems with what is downhill from the roadway. In areas like this is isn't uncommon to have switchbacks below the road that is shown. I know there is one area in Zion National Park where this is the case. We were in Mesa Verde National Park last week. There are several areas that are identified as being rockfall danger areas and no stopping is permitted! One of the cliff dwellings was closed for touring because there is a section of rock that is about to fall. They are trying to resolve that without destroying the pueblos below. Anytime you have steep slopes this kind of thing can happen. Actually this is really minor compared to what has happened in other areas. There are several slides I have visited where entire mountainsides have dropped into the valley. If you have a chance to visit one of these, they are quite amazing to see and contemplate what happened. North of Jackson Hole, WY is the Gros Ventre Slide. The link has part of the story, Wikipedia has more information. This occurred in 1925. The scar is still clearly visible and the lake that was formed when the river below was dammed is still there. In 1959 a 7.5 earthquake northwest of Yellowstone National Park collapsed a mountainside into the valley of the Madison River creating Earthquake (or Quake) Lake. There is a nice visitors center near the lake in the vecinity of US 287 and Montana Hwy 87. The visitors center is built on debris from that collapse. The collapse of the mountainside buried several campgrounds and killed 28 people. In 1903 in Alberta, Canada, a mountainside collapsed and buried part of the town of Frank. Known as the Frank Slide, this collapse killed 76 people and trapped 17 miners in the mine under Turtle Mountain. We happened to visit this area the week that they were opening the visitors center. It is well worth a stop if you are in the area. As you travel the mountains of western North America, for that matter, any mountainous area throughout the world, you can see scars on the mountainsides where rock falls, rock slides, landslides (names vary based on volume of material) have occurred. These are not uncommon, only the largest of them are uncommon. In geology these are lumped together as erosion in a category called mass wasting which just means things sliding or falling downhill. Look for them, you'll see them everywhere.

We just left Durango this morning. Actually we stayed at Ancient Cedars which is right at the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park. There were plenty of places available there. We couldn't find a campground in the Durango area. We were about 30 miles from Durango. Took the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, what a great experience. Mesa Verde was a fantastic experience as well. Enjoy.

I think you have a complex issue. You are planning to drive a vehicle combination which is clearly illegal in your state and in any other state in the US. I know of no state that allows motor home combinations of 70+ feet. Most are 65 feet but some are quite a bit less. You say everyone tells you it is no big deal but someone has clued you in that people have been stopped and had to hire a commercial tow so... everyone hasn't told you it is no big deal. Don't listen only to what you want to hear, listen to what you are told. I don't think having a CDL is going to help you. You may be licensed to drive a commercial vehicle but the vehicle you are driving isn't licensed as a commercial vehicle and even if it were, it is still a motor home, not a tractor trailer truck which may be allowed a longer total vehicle length. I guess you could see if you could get an oversized vehicle permit in each state as you traveled through but I don't think that is what you want. Even if you did that, you would have to inform your insurance company and likely get special insurance to cover this situation. If I were you I would consult an attorney before proceeding. As Brett indicated, you may get by for a while but when a problem occurs will be the wrong time to get the answer you are asking for now.

This summer is our 15th summer on the road. We've traveled in every state in the US (except Hawaii) and every province in Canada (except Nunavut). Given that experience, there are still new things to do and see. We left Scottsbluff, NE on August first headed for Denver. We have family, a sister and daughter there and we've stopped there at least once every year. Still, we found something new on this trip. Louise's sister and her husband have now retired and we had a nice visit with them and their family. We've done dinners out with Elaine and Lou before but this year we had the younger generation making suggestions for places to eat. We found ourselves in old Arvada, a ten block area in the center of the old town. The old town area is thriving as an evening hot spot for the younger generation. Bars, restaurants and parks all with music make it a world of pleasant experiences. The Grandview Tavern and Grill has a back yard patio and it made for a relaxing meal and conversation. After enjoying a good meal we spent some time strolling the streets marveling at all the activity. Lou and Elaine took us on a tour of the old town, pointing out points of interest and places with family connections. Our next stop was the Old Arvada Tavern. In Lou's memory, it was a rather drab old bar, a place he hung out while waiting to pick up his son from ball practice. Today it is alive with young people. Downstairs there is a full menu and the place was packed. Our social advisors had directed us to take a right inside the entrance and go through the "telephone booth" to the upstairs. We followed instructions and were welcomed into a world of entertainment. Like many of the bars, this one featured live entertainment on the weekend. The band for this evening was a bluegrass band. They were just warming up and adjusting the sound. We found a vacant table next to the stage. I've never been a big fan of bluegrass but a live performance would be a first. Once the band was warmed up they launched into their performance. Watching the musicians and listening to the music was a real joy. We stayed through the first set then retreated to quieter surroundings at their home for the rest of the evening. After a week and a half in Denver we drove to Sheridan, WY to spend time with our daughter and her boyfriend. Karen works in Westminster near Denver but is dating Brent who is living in Sheridan. The occasion was the Sheridan Rodeo. We settled into Peter D's RV Park for the week on Monday evening. Tuesday morning we explored the town. If we're going to spend a week here and there is going to be a crowd, we had better know our way around town. We found the rodeo arena and got an idea of the schedule. Wednesday evening we purchased tickets to the rodeo and watched the program on our own. I had been to small town rodeo's years ago but this was a much bigger deal. For Louise this was all new. The evening began with the Indian Races. Teams of Native Americans race around the track surrounding the arena. Starting standing on the ground they have to mount their horse, no saddle, ride a loop then change to a new horse, off of one, on the next without assistance. Run one more loop and change to a third horse for the final lap. Pandemonium reigned at each change of the horses. The rider had to do this unassisted. Other team members were charged with managing the horses during the race. Some horses had their own mind how this was all to work. More than one horse ran a lap without a rider. One rider chased the horse all the way around the track then grabbed the next horse and completed the race. Another rider rand several hundred yards holding on the the horse's tail before giving up. After four nights of racing, the team with the best time would claim a $10,000 prize. Other events were pretty much what you can see on TV but far more exciting and amazing when watching it in person. While in Sheridan, waiting for Karen to arrive for the weekend, we played a round of golf at the local golf course. We also toured King's Ropes downtown. This is a western store and more. The Kings have been saddle makers for several generations. They also stock a whole warehouse of ropes that are made on site. You can watch the ropes being made by hand. There are also several workstations for saddle work You can drop off a saddle for repair or restoration or order your own custom saddle. Behind the store is an amazing museum with hundreds of saddles of all kinds, photos, books, guns, spurs, cowboy gear of all kinds and old time photos. You can stand in one place and look from ceiling to floor to see everything on display in that area. We spent an hour and a half in a quick walk through. Karen arrived late Friday so we met her and Brent at The Silver Spur for breakfast. From there we were off to watch the bed races. Teams with specially built beds race down the street for two blocks to a packed house on the sidewalks. Fun is had by everyone. To get front row seats, you have to park your lawn chair on main street Friday afternoon. Following the bed races is the big parade. This is a major parade with horses, cars, floats of all kinds, and audience participation. Watchers and float riders battle with water cannons at various locations along the route. Mars candy magnates live in the area and there is no shortage of Mars candy distributed along the route. Lunch followed ant then I spent several hours at the Native American Pow Wow on the lawn of the Sheridan Inn. Native dancers performed a variety of dances with narration to explain the significance of each dance. We had ordered tickets for the Saturday night finals more than a month before the rodeo. The grandstand was all sold out so we purchased tickets in what we learned was the new stands on the west side of the arena. The rodeo clown labeled this area as the newbee section! We had front row seats, just a fence separating us from the horses and livestock. We were just a few yards from the gates and had a great view of the entire arena. All the participants were pushing their limits for the final performance of the rodeo and the show was spectacular. Sunday was a day to relax and wrap up visits. We slept in then joined Brent's family for a birthday celebration for his sister. We said good bye to Karen then returned to the park for the evening. We would leave Monday morning to return to Denver for another week and a half. On the way south we drove over the Bighorn Mountains enjoying the spectacular scenery on US Hwy 14. We stopped for a few days near Thermopolis, WY, Camping at Boysen State Park. One of the surprises of the trip was our entrance into Thermopolis. The hot springs there has a spectacular travertine terrace visible from the road as you enter the northern end of town. There are several venues offering hot springs for swimming and soaking. The grounds are pleasant to walk, offering great views of the spring and the mineral shelf. Just south of Thermopolis is the Wedding of the Waters. An informational display marks the place where the Wind River changes its name to the Bighorn River. The river was given different names upriver and at the mouth and when it became apparent that it was the same river a compromise arrangement was to use both names for the same river. The Wedding of the Waters marks the location where the name changes. Up stream, the Wind River Canyon is a spectacular sight. At the upper end of the canyon is Boyson Dam and Reservoir. There are numerous campgrounds there, above and below the dam. All campgrounds are dry without electric which made the stay a little uncomfortable with temperatures near 100 during the day. Fortunately, breezes off the lake made for cooler evening temperatures. We stopped in Rawlings on Wednesday night and spent Thursday night at Cummins Rocky Mountain in anticipation of scheduled maintenance on Friday. We were in and out Friday morning and into Dakota Ridge RV Park that afternoon.

Still, if you are considering a purchase and want an idea of what it will cost you to keep your Class A motor home on the road, the OP asked a very pertinent question and I think that answers have been given which should be helpful. There is no question that each individual case is different but the overall responses fall within a fairly narrow range. This kind of question is what an informed consumer asks before making a purchase and then finding out that they can't afford to use it because it costs too much or, conversely they may decide it isn't feasible as it probably is too expensive to operate when it turns out to be quite affordable for that buyer. Gathering information before making a purchase should be done by every purchaser, whether considering a motor home or a lawn mower. The larger the purchase the more carefully it should be investigated before making the purchase. The information is out there, in this case on the FMCA Forum but there are other sources. Before we went full time we read books and a number of articles, browsed magazines on RV'ing and examined a number of other sources. We considered all aspects including communication, financial and legal aspects of living full time in a motor home. Having done so, we never felt as though we were in over our head or had unrealistic ideas of what purchasing and living in a motor home would be like.

These are pretty standard. If you can't find a replacement through a dealer, you might try RV salvage shops. You will almost certainly have the new one painted if you want it to match. Have a paint shop do that along with any blemishes you may find on your coach! There have been numerous discussions on RV salvage yards, use the search function at top right on this page and you should come up with a listing of these shops. Many of them ship items so you don't have to go browse. Here is a link to a recently posted list of salvage yards.

I have to agree, I tried Wilson, several years ago but the difference was miniscule at the time. I had an ALFA booster that plugged into the USB port and worked fairly well but it isn't compatible with Windows 10 so that is dead to me now. Newer systems may be better but I would not count on much. I use several hot spot devices from the major phone companies. The most useful is my iPad. Linking to AT&T LTE service is the fastest thing and easiest to work with. I also have a Verizon hot spot that is useful when the AT&T service isn't available or is too weak to be useful. I've found that to be a rare occurrence but when you need a connection, you usually really need one. I also have a T-Mobile hot spot which provides the last resort at times. When I have used all available connect time on the other services, T-Mobile has unlimited service and even when the speed is limited at least I'm able to connect and get things done. T-Mobile has the most limited service area especially in certain locations. Verizon and AT&T both have pretty good coverage these days. Traveling to RV destinations that are sometimes remote will eventually find the holes in any companies service areas. The above is not a cheap solution, I wish that it were but it is the best I can find to get connected with secure service on a regular basis.

C.M. Nelson, welcome to the FMCA Forum. Nice boost for Safeco. You might explore your keyboard, it seems your caps lock is on. You will notice no one here types in all caps. It is considered impolite to type in all caps. This applies across the internet, not just here on the FMCA forum.

Yeah it's on my bucket list! Using my system it is likely a little less handy but if you are using 3/4 tank of fresh water (in our coach, 30 gallons) and repeating once or twice, that would be 60 or 90 gallons of fresh water to clean a 40 gallon tank. We are using between 6 and 8 gallons to get a clean tank. With the factory sprayer running while rinsing, it is less than 12 to 15 gallons total.

I have mentioned this before. We have a built-in rinse that sprays the black water tank. I use it every time we dump. It works but doesn't clean the tank completely. For years we have used a technique which will bring out significant waste after the tank is dumped with the rinse running. We have several small 2 gallon buckets. We fill the bowl with one bucket then dump that followed by several buckets dumped right down the throat of the toilet. I use a clear connector between the valve and the sewer hose. I can see that it takes about three buckets to remove all possible wastes from the tank. After that, any additional rinsing brings out clear water only. You can't beat the volume of water that this puts down on the bottom of the tank right under the drop pipe. A sprayer simply doesn't deliver the pounding rush of water that dumping 2 gallons of water straight down the toilet in less than 5 seconds will do. If I didn't have a rinse for the tank, I wouldn't worry about it, simply use a good bucket rinse.

That is why I mentioned it has been redesigned. It carries the Roadmaster name but I believe Roadmaster was sold to Freightliner. Thus the Freightliner support that is mentioned in the description. I'm not sure from the diagram but it looks to me as if the excellent 10 airbag arrangement on tag axle coaches has been changed if not in number, it looks like the outboard location, in line with the tires, has been abandoned. I guess only an actual examination will confirm any/all changes.

Yes, I've seen that page before, it is an old reference, an archived site/page. Go to my original post and check that site. There is no mention of Trek, Beaver or Safari in the current listing. How do I know it is the current site/page? Check Monaco listings on both sites, the site you list has no mention of the new Diplomat from Monaco. Another way to tell is to go to the employment page from your reference. It lists Allied Recreation Group as the company name. And yes, the times they are a-changin'.

I'm just saying that there are other things that have drains. If I had thought about it I'd have connected the drain compartment for the defrost cycle on our residential refrigerator to the drain line before we installed the refrigerator!

I just reviewed the whole line-up for the REV Group and I don't see any mention of Trek. If it is being manufactured, I can't find any information through REV Group. Perhaps picked up by another manufacturer?

The old Norcold refrigerator had a drain that was midship on our coach.

That is correct. Allied Specialty Vehicles (ASV) has simply re-organized, re-branded if you will. Here is a link to the REV Group. From that page, you can explore the extent of the REV Group vehicle brands. Under the Recreational Vehicles category you will find four brands, American Coach, Fleetwood RV, Holiday Rambler and Monaco. You can follow the links to each of these brands and their customer interfaces. I can't speak for all brands but I can say that for Monaco, and I believe Holiday Rambler also, the customer interface remains consistent from the pre-2008 company to today. The phone number in my owners manual still works, just as it did in 2004. I can (have) called the parts department, given them my coach number and they can access the coach records to supply the correct part as needed. I visited the service center in Coburg, Oregon two summers ago and they are servicing all REV Group brands of motor homes. There are now three service centers listed, besides Coburg, OR, there is a service center in Decatur, IN and now a new (at least new to me) one in Alvarado, TX. Several years ago when ASV took on the Monaco and Holiday Rambler brands we were told that they would bring back some lines as financing and sales permitted. It seems that in the case of Monaco, the brands that are being brought back have familiar names but they are significantly different in their marketing placement than in the past. The Dynasty has been manufactured for several years now and the Diplomat has just been introduced for 2017. Both are shown on the Monaco link. The Diplomat is now a tag axle coach which is much different than the old Diplomat. The Roadmaster chassis that made Monaco Coaches unique has been redesigned and is still the platform for both these coaches. The Holiday Rambler line is much more robust with five Class A Diesel coaches, three Class A gas coaches and a Class C coach. American Coach lists six Class A diesel coaches. The Fleetwood line includes four Class A diesel coaches, three Class A gas coaches, four Class A "crossover" coaches and four Class C coaches. ASV, now REV Group is privately owned. A new CEO was installed in 2014 and this reorganization is a reflection of new leadership. If you read the leadership information under the company tab, you will see a number of very experienced executives who have been responsible for moving companies forward in their previous positions. I expect that the REV Group will continue to evolve in the future. REV is not an acronym, it is the company name. Their promo indicates REV relates to revving a vehicle engine. If you read the text that accompanies the video (again under the company tab), it explains the name and it's significance in the company philosophy.

We have a Xantrex RS3000 with auto generator start. If I didn't have it on the inverter, I'd add it with the Onan kit. I find it invaluable. We travel in all weather. There are times when the furnace runs quite a bit at night. With the auto gen start, I don't have to worry about the batteries, when the voltage drops to or below a set voltage output, the generator kicks on and runs until the batteries are fully charged. I leave the auto start function set all the time unless there is a reason not to have it set, like when the motor home is in for maintenance. I still have the manual start and stop option and can use that when desired. There is even a way to set the auto start with the inverter so that it will start the generator when the air conditioners call for power. Our system wasn't set up that way with the original coach so I haven't tried to re-wire that. Our air conditioners are getting quite old, 13 years of full-time summer use. When they are replaced, we'll need a new thermostat and I'll have the auto start wired in at that time.

The series of articles offered so far (have read parts 1-5) are certainly enlightening. Many of the problems cited have been apparent to anyone who owns an RV. Others are behind the scenes which highlight things I didn't know. Many of the cited problems concern trailers which are the low end of the market and more problems could be expected there. Unfortunately, they are also the introduction to the RV lifestyle for most people. That is not to say that motor homes don't also have their problems. Much of what is cited is related to the need to keep the price point low and this results in low quality and poor support. From manufacture to dealers, parks and repair facilities, the amount of investment compared to the return on investment is a challenge. Most RV park owners could probably sell the land the park sets on and walk away with a nice retirement package. We'd love to have better parks but that also means much higher fees. No doubt, RV techs should be better trained and better paid but that also means higher repair costs. It's a you get what you pay for world. Buy cheap, you buy problems. We looked at fifth wheel trailers and doing the math, it was apparent to me that I would also need a dually diesel truck to properly tow the trailer. If you don't do the math, you make a big mistake. Yes, dealers should help you with this but as a consumer you are the one who in the end must be responsible for understanding what you are buying and double checking the pitch of the salesman. The bigger the purchase, the more important to research the product to ensure you fully understand what you are buying. These articles should be helpful for potential purchasers.

I've used silicon spray on ours (Aria) when it is causing problems, seals aren't sealing properly. That works for a while and when it quits working I have the blade unit replaced. Go to a Thetford authorized repair center for best service. It isn't prohibitively expensive and that solves the problem. It is, in my opinion, the workhorse of the toilet and the weakest point. We've had it replaced twice, now 12+ years and 154,000 miles. The rest of the toilet has worked well for us over time, nothing lasts forever but this toilet seems to be quite durable. Regarding the water level, there are two settings, one is for household and the other for "camping." There is a toggle switch to change that setting. Consult your user manual for instructions for that setting. We've had others, the Aria is by far the best.

Maybe the rattle isn't coming from the stop arm. Here is something I recently discovered. We were in South Dakota and there was a real strong wind storm. Some of the sun screens blew off the coach and I went out to retrieve them before they disappeared over the horizon. When I opened the door the wind grabbed it and it bent the top door hinge. The door was difficult to operate and when I examined it the difference between the top and bottom hinge was apparent. So we (my best friend Bill and I) removed the door and the hinge. Yes, I can verify that the door is really very, very heavy. We beat the hinge back to flat and re-installed it. With that done, the door suddenly started closing very easily, better than it had been for years. We had latch problems in the past and had been in a dealer shop and the tech told us that the door was incorrectly installed and was slightly off square. It turns out the hinge had been bent for a long time and we just didn't realize it because it was only slightly bent. Once it was noticeable we repaired it, the problem became obvious and we decided to fix it. Once the hinge was flattened again the door closed like magic. It was easy to close and closed tight. I had been bugged for years by wind noise on the drivers side window. Suddenly that was gone. We went to Deadwood, SD and once again the door was caught by wind. The hinge (previously bent) was bent again, just slightly, but the wind noise was back. I just ordered a new hinge and will install it as soon as I have good help. In the meantime I'm training myself to open the door with two hands, one on the release and the other on the solid handle. It doesn't take much to bend that hinge and it may be the cause of your rattle. Just an "educated" guess.

Your wife is happy, everyone is happy! It looks great!