tbutler

So you are riding on 13+ year old tires? Slowly, very slowly drive to your nearest tire dealer and get new tires all around! As the Monopoly game ticket says, "Go directly to the tire shop. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200." You should be able to afford the Michelin tires, you have saved a whole set of tires by not replacing them every seven years as recommended. Consider the value of your coach and then ask yourself how that compares to the cost of the set of tires. Consider what is at risk.

Our summer travels began in April with a trip to Rusk, Texas for a Lone Star Chapter Rally that included a train ride on the Texas State Railroad. The trip from Rusk to Palestine takes about an hour at 20 miles per hour. They turn the steam engine around on a triangle track then return to Rusk. It's a good time getting together with friends and making new friends. As chapter participants, Louise and I are fickle. Like our trips to FMCA National Conventions, we'll get there if it is on our way for our summer travels. We have never been weekend RV'ers. When we go, we're on the road for months and our journeys are usually guided by family commitments or vast travel plans like our 2006 trip to Alaska. So this summer we're out West while FMCA rallies in Massachusetts. Last year we were in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine on our way to Newfoundland and Labrador. Maybe next year we'll synchronize our travels with FMCA. Leaving Rusk, we were headed for eastern Missouri to visit family. Louise suggested that we make a stop in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She was thinking horse races but the horses weren't running, the season hadn't started. So we did the hot baths. The real old fashioned ones at the Buckstaff Bath House, a hot soak in spring water so hot they have to add cold water, loofa sponge scrub, a Sitz bath, 360o needle shower, massage and hot wax for the hands. Follow that with breakfast at The Pancake House and you have a great day ahead of you! We strolled the shops and stores collecting fun stuff along the way, custom soaps for the ladies in the family, wine souvenirs for our wine lovers. We drove the scenic drives and enjoyed an overview of the area from the tower atop Hot Springs Mountain. Arriving in Missouri we took care of doctors appointments then turned our attention to our children and grandchildren. Our oldest grandson turned16 last month. His sister just turned 13. Mom and dad have their hands full and grandpa and grandma are just grinning! We have another grandson who will be 16 in November. He and his dad just took a trip to northern Illinois to get a 1979 Trans Am for his car. He has a sister who will be 12 and a young brother who is on his way to being 3. He also has a girlfriend. Grandpa and grandma are laughing! Actually, we are quite impressed with the parenting that our children are doing. They are active parents, involved in their children's lives and doing their best to encourage their children and keeping them involved in school and community. While we were there we monitored my youngest sister who has gone through a radical masectomy and chemotherapy. We just received a message from her husband, the reconstructive surgery is complete and she is healing. We are hoping that this will now be behind her so she get on with her life. From Missouri we headed west for a short visit with our friends in Yankton, South Dakota. Bill and Laura sold their motor home last year but we still like them. Louise was nursing a sore toe so she wasn't exactly running about. I played golf several times with Bill and a neighbor and even lent a hand with "The First Tee" instruction one day. We visited the National Music Museum in Vermillion one day and I highly recommend this as a destination for those interested in music. One of the unique features of this museum is the iPod guided tour that describes a small percentage of the instruments on display. That narration is also accompanied by, what else, music. In fact they have the various instruments that are highlighted playing in the background. You can see the instrument and also hear it. What a spectacular experience. We followed that with lunch and then a visit to Valiant Vineyards in Vermillion. We also enjoyed an evening concert in the park next to the Missouri River in Yankton. Evenings were spent in competition as we faced off, playing a variety of games. The highlight of the visit had to be Czech Days in Tabor, SD. We had lunch, toured some of the town, enjoyed a celebratory Mass and choir performance, Bill and Laura sang in the choir. Then there was the beer garden with imported Czech beer. The evening featured Czech dancers performing traditional dances. In late June we headed for Deadwood, SD. We have been through the Black Hills on many occasions but never been to Deadwood so it was our objective on this visit. Our campground was humble, narrow sites on gravel. The town was filled with visitors on the weekend and so did the campground. From the campground we were able to walk through town and when the day wore on we could take a shuttle back to the park. With casinos, bars and gunfights in the streets, it doesn't sound like a family kind of place, but it is and there were many families. The museum in town is a first class museum highlighting the history of Deadwood. They have an extensive collection of wagons, buggies, stagecoaches, horse drawn hearses and more in the basement of the museum. We enjoyed all of Deadwood including Saloon Number 10 featuring the murder of Wild Bill Hitchcock and the trial of the killer. In every case, the professional actors involved children in the skit and took time to detail the actual history as the dramatization took place. Sunday we did the cemetery tour and then hiked to the Friendship Tower on Mount Roosevelt which overlooks the northern end of the Black Hills. It was a thoroughly enjoyable visit. To the south of the Black Hills in Nebraska is Scottsbluff. We had passed through the area several years ago and it looked worth a stop so we made a three day stop there. This is a prime area for learning about the Oregon Trail and the Great Plains in the mid 1800's. We drove to the top of Scott's Bluff National Monument and hiked trails to various overlooks on the prairie, played golf at Monument Shadows golf course just below the bluff, and toured the Museum of the Prairie. The various stories and exhibits transported us to a time of incredible hardship as the pioneers struggled to make their way west through what was at the time a very hostile area. One hundred and seventy years later, it is hard to imagine that times could be so hard and now the plains so much different now. In 2004 we followed Lewis and Clark across the country and I had the same impression, from wilderness with life and death struggles to modern times, the world has been radically changed in just the last few hundred years. That statement comes from the perspective of someone who has lived a significant portion of one hundred years. Next we continue to push west...

Go to the Home Page. Then the tab Benefits At the bottom of the page is a little note that says Page 1 of 5! Who knew? Five pages of benefits. If you haven't browsed the list lately, now is a good time to do it. If you keep working your way through the five pages, when you get to page 4 you will find: Stoppin' Spots (We cool, we don't need no g's) There is a link to the electronic membership list in the text explaining the benefit. You have to be logged in as a member to get there. Or you can find them in print, listed in the January issue of FMCA Magazine. So there it is Herman!

Not required in every state in the US but recommended. There are states that require supplementary braking depending on the weight of the toad. Here is a link to the towing laws, state by state and for Canada. California requires brakes for anything over 1500 pounds. Canada brake requirements are different for each province. You can check others but if you are making long term plans, you will likely find yourself in states or provinces that do require brakes. I wouldn't tow without brakes on the toad, it makes it easier to stop quick.

The Big Rig Directory may be what you want. The number of campgrounds is limited because only those that cater to big rigs (think $$$$) are listed. They now have satellite views of campgrounds on the on-line version. Understand that I have never used this guide because we view campgrounds as basically a parking lot, hopefully close to what we really want to see. We don't go out to hang around in the campground, we're out at museums, hiking in parks, playing golf, carousing bars, tasting wine, visiting friends and/or out somewhere having a good time. We sleep and shower in RV parks. We've taken our 40 footer into all kinds of parks. Now in her 13th year and with 154,000 miles we're frequently the fanciest thing in the park! Right now, parked on gravel in a really narrow site (had to move the neighbors picnic table to get my awnings set up) we're just a few blocks from all the action at Sheridan Rodeo Week. Quiet site, no campfires, friendly folks in the office, we're happy.

To find a Michelin Dealer, use this link. It takes you to the truck dealer page. If I Google Michelin it takes me to the car and light truck page and I can't find a link there to get to truck (and RV tires). Anyway, that link takes you to truck dealers. You need to find one that will work with "National Accounts." There is a symbol on the dealer listings for National Account Dealers. Then you should contact them and ensure that they are able to handle your needs as a motor home owner. You will want the tires mounted for a motor home, not an 18 wheeler. Getting a good ride means that you will want all tires balanced. When you set up an appointment, let them know that you want tires that are recent manufacture. They may have to order them. I usually ask for tires manufactured in the last three months. Check the date code before you accept and pay for the tires.

I just picked up a pair of entry door hinges for our 2004 Windsor from Monaco! Call 877-466-6226 and ask for the parts department. You will need to have handy the last six digits of your coach "unit serial number" (not the VIN). You can find it on the wall behind the drivers seat, unless Monaco has put it somewhere else on your coach.

You can learn a lot on this forum! Several years ago the owner of a coach parked next to us asked me for help with an electrical problem. He was a new owner and didn't know where to find the circuit breakers so we played a game of hide and seek, trying to find where the manufacturer hid those breakers. He didn't have a user manual or couldn't find it, I can't remember. Anyway, we never looked under the bed.

As silly as it may sound for full timers, where you are licensing your motor home has a serious impact on your insurance rates. This applies even if you spend little time in that area. Things like the rate of vehicle theft, accident rates, vandalism, repair rates and other loss factors for the insurance industry in the area affect the underwriting formula used to set rates. You might get much better rates if you were licensed in a different state or even if you had a different address within Florida. We were full time, licensed in South Dakota for many years. When we "moved" to Texas our rates went up, We have a mobile home now in Texas and our rates on the mobile home went up significantly last year. Insurance rates are based on insurance company losses in the area where you are licensed. If there was a hurricane or other natural disaster that hit the insurance companies in the area, they will raise rates in response to their losses. We had significant storm damage to homes and cars in our area several years ago. A large thunderstorm with significant large hail hit much of the city of McAllen, about 15 miles south of us and our rates have gone up, even if we didn't personally experience any damage.

These are old cities, built on streets that started as trails for horses and wagons. They are frequently narrow and not necessarily constructed on the modern right angle patterns. In addition, we found that the road departments in MA are reluctant to trim trees. It has been several years when we were last there. We saw exit signs that were hidden behind shrubs or trees until you were almost past them, trees that were too low for us to get under without contact, turns that were difficult and railroad bridges that were less than 10' clearance. These kinds of things are common throughout New England. The solution is to do everything you can to know your route. Get the best map information you can. Use a GPS to alert you to upcoming turns and anticipate a hidden turn or exit. Stay with the major roads if at all possible. If you have low clearance information on your GPS or in your map book, make sure you have the latest most complete information available. I would look for routes into and out of city locations that are on major roads if absolutely necessary to go into cities in the motor home. We've traveled through much of New England and it is definitely worth the effort and care in driving to make the trip, just go there with a clear expectation that the roads will be more challenging than you find in other parts of the country. This is where you will earn your "stripes" as a motor home driver. Enjoy!

I have used HP laser printers and now have an Epson XP-410. The XP-410 is a color printer, copier and scanner, now likely discontinued or replaced with a more modern model. Most printers are easily capable of taking care of personal use. If you need to print large quantities you might be able to use commercial (office supply or copy centers) printing for those needs. Other than the number of copies, the other considerations are the size of the printer. Decide where you want to place the printer when it is in use and when you are on the road. When I had the HP laser printers I stored them in an overhead cabinet but had to move them out to use them. I had a step stool that was handy for Louise but not used often. I used that step stool as a printer stand. I have a fold up table behind the passenger seat and the space under that is where I placed the printer. The computer sits on the table when in use and the 110V electric supply is on the bottom of the cabinets above. So I had convenient connections between all components and electric handy as well. With the current printer, I leave the printer in the overhead cabinet above where the computer is located when it is in use. That way I don't have to relocate it to use it. I seldom use the printer these days but it is handy to have one along. The Epson is light weight and does a decent job of printing. Paper has caused problems in the past. I keep our paper in a plastic storage container to control the moisture content which has caused some printers to jam in the past. I believe most printers today have wireless operation as at least an option. This is handy, allowing you to put the printer where you need to without worrying about the location of the computer and the need to connect a wire to the computer. We occasionally have need for a copier and it is really unhandy to have to find a place to make copies. Again today it is easy to find printers that are multi-function capable and prices are quite reasonable for these printers. The copy and scan option allows me to convert paper receipts to digital copies. Have you noticed how many receipts are printed in invisible ink? Three months later they fade to white! For all my durable goods purchases (like the printer) I scan the receipt and make a digital copy. That way I have proof of purchase that won't fade. Measure your storage space then take a tape measure and go shopping or shop on-line and hope the measurements they quote are correct. When it comes to shopping on-line and finding correct sizes I often go to the manufacturer website to verify the measurements quoted on the on-line sales site. There are so many choices available you should have no trouble finding one that fits your needs.

There isn't anything good and cheap in Denver. RV Park Reviews lists 51 parks in the area. Some don't have full facilities, others are rated 1 out of 5 stars. Across the road from Dakota Ridge $$$$$ (where we are now) is Golden Terrace RV Park. It is pretty much a parking lot and the sites are really narrow. If you have a toad, you will park it in the adjacent parking area. Our last stay there several cars were vandalized. Another park we have used in the past is Prospect Park. The sites are archaic, some trees can be quite messy, electric is 30A and they were packed when we called earlier this year. Our last stay there we had such a mess from the tree we were parked under I pretty much vowed never to return but we did check! Cherry Creek State Park is south of town a short distance. We've been to the park but haven't stayed there or even seen the campground. We know people who stay there regularly and they like it. We have also stayed at Barr Lake which is about 20 miles north. It is also an old park, sites are gravel but are level and there are full hook-ups. Check RV Park Reviews for details and other parks.

Let's go back to the OP. Given the information provided it sounds as if there are a number of solutions. First is the condition of the house batteries. There are two battery systems in motor homes, the chassis batteries start the engine and power the driving portion of the vehicle, signal lights, headlights, etc. The house batteries (may be 2 or 4 6V batteries or in some coaches, 1 or 2 12V batteries) power all the household items: water pump, most lights, furnace, refrigerator, slide outs, inverter and control functions on things like the water heater. The house batteries also power control functions on the transfer switch which controls the varying sources of AC power (generator or "shore" power). Depending on the coach, what is controlled and how a dead house battery affects the coach may vary. We've run our house batteries to dead several times and the result is much like what is described. Now, if the batteries are in good condition, charged and producing current, there are usually two separate cut-off switches that shut off the power from the house batteries. The main or master cut-off switch will usually be somewhere near the house battery compartment. That switch may be shut off and it will cut off power to the house, just as if the batteries are dead. If the switch is off, the solution is simple, turn it on. If it is on there is still a possibility that the switch may be bad. I've had a switch fail due to overheating (an improper installation was the cause). If the switch is not working properly, you can wire around the switch by connecting the two wires that connect to the switch directly to each other. Simply bolt them together. Now you may want to turn off the power quickly sometime in the future so you will want to replace the switch but temporarily wiring direct instead of through the switch will get things working until you can get a replacement switch. The aforementioned "salesman" switch is a secondary battery cut-off switch that is usually located just inside the entry door (apparently there are exceptions - see previous posts). The salesman switch is wired in series with the master cut-off switch In our coach, the salesman switch operates a solenoid which operates the actual switch. Our solenoid has a history of failure so I have wired directly around the solenoid by connecting the two feed wires directly to one another. This effectively disables the salesman switch. You could do the same at the actual salesman switch. It won't harm anything to disable this switch if you don't mind going to the master cut-off switch and cutting the power at that switch when necessary. These would be the first three things I would check. If you have checked these, then we'll have to look to other items that may be at fault. If you don't have an owners manual that helps you find the batteries, cut-off switches and other key parts of your motor home, you should contact the manufacturer for information and get a replacement owners manual if it is available. Let us know how your troubleshooting works and if you have further questions, don't hesitate to ask.

It sounds to me that the system is working fine until the engine is started. Since the engine starts, the batteries must be connected correctly. The problem occurs once the alternator comes on line and starts producing current. I would start by checking the connections for the alternator. It could be just a matter of a single wire in the wrong place.

I am surprised to hear this. Just how old is your Chevy? Our Trailblazer was 2002 and the rest of your procedure sounds just like ours...

Nice looking coach! If it serves you as well as ours has, you'll have a great time. Welcome to FMCA!

Every GM product that I have towed, a Chevrolet Trailblazer and a GMC Acadia, have required pulling fuses before towing. This wouldn't affect the mis-wiring between the motor home and the toad but it might help account for the dead battery. Check your Suburban owners manual for details. In the Acadia we tow we have to pull one 50A fuse and one 10A fuse. I have encountered problems with self wiring the connection between the motor home and toad. Several times I've had success solving the problem and other times I have given up and turned it over to experts. Sometimes a few dollars is a small price to pay for eliminating a problem and the frustration that goes with it. When we bought the Acadia I had it wired by a shop. A year later the lights quit working. It seems they had routed the wire through the car in a way that the suspension rubbed and eventually broke the wires. Sometimes hiring someone to do the work isn't the answer either! Our motor home was wired for separate brake and turn signals. The brake lights were different bulbs from the turn signals. The Acadia uses the same bulbs for turn and brake lights and this requires adapters to make everything work properly. I don't know specific details but it combines the brake and turn signals from the coach to make the toad lights work properly. Also if you haven't wired this kind of connection, there are one way devices (diodes, the D in LED lights) that must be installed on the lines in the toad to prevent feedback between the motor home and the toad. Most RV supply stores will have these. Like Wildebill I carry a battery charger and it has been handy to have occasionally. By the way if you have jumper cables (I also carry them in the toad), you can use the coach batteries to jump the toad battery. House batteries are wired 12V. Four 6V batteries are wired in series and parallel. You have 6V + to 6V - to get 12V, another set wired 6V + to 6V - to get 12V and these two sets are wired in parallel, + to + and - to -. Hook them up, motor home black to toad black, motor home red to toad red. I have even used the car battery to jump the coach! Really!!! By the way, if you don't have an owners manual for your coach, you can get a replacement copy from Monaco, Customer Service, 877-466-6226. They have complete information on your coach, right down to the various parts that were installed in your coach. The magic number that you need when you call them is the last six digits of the unit serial number (look on the coach information sticker that should be on the wall behind the drivers seat). The owners manual is actually a huge notebook and the original was accompanied by a file box with user information on all the appliances that were installed on your coach.

In case you need contact information for Holiday Rambler, the phone number in your owners manual should still be a good contact number. Holiday Rambler was part of Monaco RV at the time your coach was manufactured and their data is intact despite a bankrupcy and subsequent sale to Navistar followed by a sale to ASV which has reorganized and Monaco (including Holiday Rambler) are now in the REV Group. This Holiday Rambler link takes you to their page and way down at the bottom in the footer of the page is a link to parts and service. We have a Monaco but I think that our service number will work for you as well, 877-466-6226. Through all of the above, Monaco (including Holiday Rambler) has maintained all their records and should be able to give you specific information about your coach and advice as to how to solve any problem that exists. By the way, Roadmaster Chassis is also a part of the REV Group so repair parts may be available from them or you may need to find an aftermarket product. If it is a problem with trailing arms, there is a good aftermarket product which is rated better quality and lower cost than the replacements that Monaco is selling. That isn't my personal experience, it comes from other postings here on this forum. Query the forum (search box, top right corner of this page) for trailing arms to read up on what others have said. That is "IF" and I suspect as mentioned above, the problem is likely something other than trailing arms as your model should be an RR8R chassis.

I opened this can of worms. If you read through my whole dissertation you will find a single sentence where I referenced Rodger's previous remark regarding the microwave oven. Obviously, I'm not the cook that Rodger is and my remark could be taken as dismissive by someone who is much more qualified than I. There was a great deal to be learned from Rodger's posting which I take in the spirit of the normal back and forth discussion that we have here on the FMCA forum. For one, I thought that our convection microwave was the same as a home model, the label says "Sharp Household Microwave Oven Model No. 1870." On the door is says "Sharp Carousel" and "Sensor Microwave Convection." It works well for the kind of cooking that we do in the motor home. In fact if I'm doing the cooking, Rodger probably wouldn't even consider it cooking. No one who knows me would describe me as a foodie! I was pleased to learn that Rodger does agree with me regarding BBQ fuel and technique. So I will be more humble and cautious about what and how I say something about cooking!

If you are looking pre-2008, you are already 8 years old and the price limitation at that age shouldn't be much of a barrier. Look for a high quality coach. These coaches are pre-recession coaches. Coaches manufactured after 2006 were manufactured in the waning years of the RV boom. Fuel prices were affecting the sales so manufacturers were beginning to cut corners to reduce purchase prices. Post 2008 many of the manufacturers went out of business. The Monaco family (including Holiday Rambler, Beaver and Safari) went through bankruptcy. They were purchased by Navistar and continued to manufacture limited models. Recently they were sold to another company, ASV which has restructured their operations, now Monaco and Holiday Rambler are part of the REV Group which includes American Coaches and Fleetwood Coaches. Through all this, the Monaco support, tech support and factory service centers have continued to provide excellent service. I mention this to alert you to the fact that there are some coaches that are truly orphans. Their manufacturers no longer exist and your requests for assistance from a manufacturer will be futile. There are user groups for most brands but finding parts and factory quality service can be a problem. Do your due diligence on the manufacturer so you aren't surprised to find no support is available. We love Monaco products, the 8 airbags mounted in line with the tires give a superior ride. Cummins diesel has served us well though you must understand that maintenance on any diesel engine isn't cheap. Even if you are doing your own maintenance, the parts aren't cheap. We had a 38 foot and now a 40 foot coach. I think the ride will get better with the longer length. Our 40 footer has had only minor adjustments in slides and we are now going on 13 years on the road in this coach and 150,000+ miles. Most coaches manufactured after 2000 will have some slides. We started with no slides in our first coach. Having slides to expand the coach are almost never a problem in campgrounds (even in Canada and Alaska) and they make the living much more comfortable. The outside storage is obviously greater with larger coaches. Pass through compartments are really nice and if they don't have sliding tray storage, it can be added by any number of suppliers. The pass through slide out tray in our coach is more valuable as time passes and I get older! If a 36 footer is your choice so you can fit into smaller campsites, state and national parks and others, that is fine. Otherwise there really isn't much difference in driving a 36 footer and a 40 footer. Your choices are much broader in the 40 foot category. That is a big rig and there are more models manufactured at this level. If you are planning to tow a car you can find parks near the state and national parks and do your exploring in your toad. Without a toad you will have a difficult time getting around to tour a state or national park. We have found state parks and in Canada, national parks that have sites for 40 foot coaches. State parks that don't have sites for 40 footers often don't have full hook-ups or 50 amp electric. Beyond Monaco and Holiday Rambler, Country Coach is another brand that I have always looked at as a quality coach. Even if you aren't interested in the higher priced brands, I would encourage you to look at them to see the quality of those coaches. There are many low quality coaches, buy the highest quality you can afford, it will serve you well. Many coaches have nice paint jobs, quality is in the cabinetry, suspension, design, windows, doors, compartments, plumbing, lighting and floors. Drive it, see how much it rattles, how it handles, how it rides. Floor plans are so much an individual decision I wouldn't even begin to make suggestions here. The issue of a conventional oven can be answered by the convection microwave oven. Louise is quite happy with ours. We lived full time in our coach for almost ten years, Louise insists on a good sized pantry. She also makes good use of the Splendide washer/dryer. We have replaced the Norcold 1200 refrigerator in our coach with a residential refrigerator. Norcold 1200 LRM model refrigerators have been subject to recall and the retrofit kit for them is a problem. They are a serious fire hazard. I slept better once ours was replaced. You won't find too many coaches pre-2008 with residential refrigerators as original equipment but it is an upgrade that you might want to consider. We use 120V AC full time in our coach. We have an inverter that is always on. 4 6V batteries is standard for most larger coaches as is 50A electric. You can get by with 30A but the larger coaches with 2 air conditioner/heat pumps require 50A to be able to use both these appliances at the same time. This time of year, having 50A electric means comfort on hot days. Size of tanks is a consideration. We have 95 gallons fresh water, 60 gallons gray water and 40 gallons black water. We can go a week living on our tanks alone if we have to. Our fuel tank is 127 gallons for a range near 1000 miles. Keeping the tank 1/4 full to keep the generator fueled limits that range to something like 750 miles. We just turned 2000 hours on our generator and we use it frequently. It is handy for boondocking and for travel on hot days when the dash air conditioner isn't sufficient for comfortable travel. A generator means increased flexibility in your travel options. You are buying a used coach so service from the dealer isn't a huge factor, there is no warranty service and you can get service anywhere. If you have a good repair shop near your home, they will service what you have. We have obtained service as we travel for fifteen years on the road. There are good service centers and those that are not. Most will do a suitable job. Since the recession, dealers and service providers are anxious to provide service. It was common in 2001 to find dealers that wouldn't provide service if you didn't purchase from them but we haven't encountered that recently. The RV industry is slowly recovering but will likely never return to the boom days of the 90's and early 00's. You need work done and they are hungry to serve. We are this year beginning to encounter RV parks that are reserved and have no sites available. That hasn't happened for years. These are a few of the considerations in selecting a coach. I don't have specific recommendations beyond these. Take time, examine a wide variety of coaches, you will find something that meets your needs.

I have the ISL 400 and Allison 3000. When I use the engine brake (low or high), the transmission will select 4th gear but won't shift if the speed is too high. I don't manually downshift, I let the Allison handle that. If I want a downshift I'll apply the service brakes enough to bring the speed down and the Allison will downshift on it's own. In ideal conditions, I'll apply the engine brake before the speed becomes too high for the Allison to downshift. If I want a downshift to 3rd gear, I'll apply service brakes and slow the coach until the Allison shifts down to third gear. The Allison 3000 as it is set up on our coach will shift up to the next higher gear when the engine RPM reaches 2500. If the RPM is approaching that level and I don't want the Allison to shift to the next higher gear, I'll apply the service brakes to bring the RPM down to something like 2200 or 2300 and then let the engine brake handle the descent until it approaches 2500 again.

We have a Monaco, 2004. If the Holiday Rambler is similar to ours, the lighted handle lights up with the porch light. When you turn on the porch light the handle illuminates. If it isn't lighting up, you can get a replacement light unit. Contact Monaco (Holiday Rambler) Customer Service (877-466-6226). I've replaced ours once, not a difficult job, takes 5 to ten minutes.

I posted the details of our change from the Norcold to a household (Whirlpool) refrigerator in 2011. Take a look at that post and the following discussion for a wide variety of thoughts on the process.

We have a Whirlpool 21.7 cu ft residential refrigerator in our coach. I just checked the data that I can find on our model, ED2GVE, the information I have puts it usage at about 400 Watts maximum. That would be about 20% of your inverter capacity. We replaced our 2500 W inverter when it began to fail. In preparation for the residential refrigerator we put in a 3000 W sine wave inverter. I can't say that it was absolutely necessary. I made the assumption that the designers of our coach had figured the size of the inverter to meet the needs of the installed components and usual appliances that might be used in the coach. Adding an additional large load might require additional capacity from the inverter. Consider then that you are removing the load of the Norcold. I looked for specifications on the energy usage of the Norcold 1200 and didn't find any information. Changing from the Norcold to the Whirlpool may be a wash, no net change in maximum wattage. I can say that we are extremely happy with the change-over. We installed the Whirlpool in 2011 and it has performed flawlessly for five years of hard use. We are on the road for about six months each summer and the refrigerator sits idle all winter. We did not install additional house batteries, still have the 4 x 6V set-up. This could be an indication that there really wasn't that much difference in the energy use of the Whirlpool refrigerator. I did a write-up on our installation and the subsequent discussion may provide more useful information.

I like this web site, RV Electric, It not only shows how to wire outlets for RV's but also shows common wiring that is not suitable for RV's and how to test outlets for suitable supply. This is basic information everyone who plugs in an RV should understand before they even plug it in the first time. The site is very complete, it has 30A and 50A service explained and goes way beyond. There is information on proper wire sizing, making adapters, and much more. Keep this site handy for reference.