tbutler

We went full time just before 9-11-2001 and had everything set up for our new address. The address in South Dakota, My Home Address Inc., was a physical address with a street number, etc. We had a PMB and had no problems. That worked for us until we moved to a permanent home in May of 2010. It may be that we were grandfathered in or perhaps that address, even though it was a commercial company flew under the radar as they operate out of a house in a residential neighborhood. It could also be that the ever tightening noose of homeland security has plugged another security risk in the last couple of years. I did have one incident with the FAA. Being a private pilot I must always have an address on file. Their software flagged our address as a commercial address and I had to process paperwork by mail rather than using the computer. I included a message explaining our circumstance as full timers and assured them that I had no other address than the PMB in South Dakota. They overrode the system and I was able to get my license updated. I haven't had a problem with them since. Another problem I've encountered is that some companies refuse to ship an order to any address other than the billing address for the credit card that paid for the order. So if Fidelity can't accept your appeal to use the PMB you have serveral choices as I see it. First, you could try a diffferent PMB with a company such as the one we used. Having a residential connection with an address that is not strictly a commercial address might work. Second, you could find a trusted person whose address you could use to receive the mail from Fidelity and then forward it to you. Since this is financial mail you would have to be sure that the person will handle your mail securely and without delay. We did this with our employer based medical insurance until we reached Medicare age and finally had nationwide coverage. We had several of our children do this during our fulltime years. The third option might be to investigate other investment companies and determine how they handle this. Their information might help you deal with Fidelity by suggesting ways to deal with the challenge. It might also motivate Fidelity to pursue the matter more aggressively when you let them know that you have talked to xyz company and they are able do this. Finally if you find a company that can deal with your situation, you could move your accounts to that company. Going full time is a little like walking off the edge of the Earth for many companies. Some are experienced at it and know how to deal with it and others are in completely foreign territory. Some companies that deal with RV'ers, in our experience CW for example, should have it figured out but they still struggle with it. Other companies like the satellite TV companies have many millions of home customers and only a few thousand full timers so we are such a small group that we fall through the cracks. As a full timer you will need patience and persistence to deal with a variety of responses to your status. In our experience it is well worth the hassle.

How about just trading your motor home for a boat for one season? Find someone with a nice boat that would like to spend some time crusing the highways and make a trade for a summer. You could give each other a lesson on how to live with the new accomodations and then part company on a real adventure.

Brett's #2 concern is the real problem. Being aware of this, we have traveled New England several times. There are limits of 55 or 60 feet in some states. Our total length approaches 65 feet. We've never been questioned. We've also never been in an accident with our rig. We were taking a risk and decided to go with it to be able to see that part of the country. I suppose we could have split the rig as an alternate but we much prefer to travel together. When we are in these states we try to stay to the interstate as much as possible. We absolutely stick to the truck routes. We park the rig and do our running about with the toad. So we are limiting our travel as much as possible with the complete rig. We have always had a supplemental braking system on the toad. I am talking about doing what you can to minimize your risk but you can't eliminate risk of either a ticket or liability in an accident.

I've been at the RV pumps at Flying J and hooked the macerator up and pumped it out while waiting for the small nozzle to fill my 127 gallon tank. I was able to run the line while in the line waiting, pulled up, started the diesel pump, hooked up the line to the macerator and pumped it out while the diesel tank was filling. I didn't hear anyone complain! It is a cleaner operation and having one gives you the flexibility to get to a dump where others can't. I've run the hose across the campground road to a sewer hookup at another site (with permission from the owners of the park). I've used home clean-outs at friends homes to dump tanks with it. I've used it at rest stop dump stations. I use the 3" hose when I can but when I can't I can usually still dump tanks. If the macerator is taking too long to dump the tank, it may need to be rebuilt. They have a flexible rubber impeller and the vanes on the impeller will eventually fail. When they have all failed, it will take forever to pump out a tank. When it is kept in good condition it works great.

It sounds like your title should be: Expect Bad Service! Or were you saying Do Not Accept Bad Service? I almost never drop off my RV for service. I like to be there watching what is going on, ready to answer questions, provide owners manuals, question procedures being used, etc. I often ask to talk to the tech about a problem when the shop foreman brings me news of what is causing a problem. The person who knows it best is the tech working on the problem. It helps me evaluate the quality of service I am receiving. If I can't be there when the work is being done I won't schedule the work. It will have to wait until I can be there. And one more thing... Yesterday as I was preparing to break camp with our coach I was giving the coach a good cleaning. I wiped down and the coach and shined it, washed the wheels and gave the windows a good Windexing. Thinking about my maintenance philosophy it occurred to me that I should add this. Whenever possible as I prepare the coach to go in for repair I try to make it look as good as possible. The appearance of the coach lets the mechanics know what standard of care the owner has for the coach. We just checked in at Cummins NW in Chehalis, WA. At the parts and service desk, Trent commented on how sharp the coach looked. When he looked at the mileage he was even more complementary of the coach and its condition. The point is that when a coach comes in looking good, no bugs on the windshield if possible, obviously cleaned and cared for the mechanics will in most cases be careful to do a good job. How you care for your coach and present it at the service facility sets a standard for their work. I understand that you have had numerous issues with this service provider and it is unfortunate that you have a tie to them with the extended warranty. If at all possible I would simply walk away from their facility and take your business elsewhere no matter what the additional cost.

Leaving the midwest in late June we battled temperatures near or above 100 degrees on a regular basis. Even as we traveled to Montana we were still enountering temperatures in the high 90s. When we got into eastern Washington we began to notice some cooler temperatures. Now, after crossing the Cascade Mountains we have arrived at Chehalis, Washington. We are about 90 miles south of Seattle on I-5. Temperatures here are in the 50's and 60's at night and highs have been in the upper 70's or lower 80's. We've had some rain and plenty of clouds. This is more like what we expected when we decided to travel in this direction. Our ultimate goal is the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park. The weather will be even cooler, cloudier, and wetter than it is here. We'll see how long we can stand the cool weather! We are having some repair work done at Cummins Northwest here in Chehalis. The parts should all be waiting for us now and we have an appointment on Monday morning. If all goes well, we should be on our way to the Olympic Peninsula by Monday afternoon. We have had a great time in central Washington. This was our second visit to the Grand Coulee area and we learn more each time. The tour at Grand Coulee Dam has changed as they are now remodeling the powerhouse which used to be the tour area. This time we toured the pumping facility for filling Banks Lake which serves as the reservoir for irrigating this part of the state. Banks Lake fills the Grand Coulee from near Grand Coulee Dam on to Coulee City where a small dam across the coulee blocks its flow. The town of Coulee City has a wonderful community park there with a beach on the lake. The RV sites have full hookups with 30A for some and 50A for others. The pull through sites are not real level but we managed to find a spot where we could level the coach. We fell in love with the town. Everyone was friendly and helpful including the people at city hall where we had a package shipped. Just below Coulee City is one of the truly amazing features of the area, Dry Falls is a waterfall that was active for only 48 hours as the glacial lake, Lake Missoula, emptied when its ice dam failed. Lake Missoula was larger than any of the Great Lakes today and was as much as 2000 feet deep. Imagine pulling the plug on that and the ensuing havoc that occurred. The Grand Coulee and other coulees in the area were formed by this sudden flush of water over the land. Dry Falls is 3 1/2 miles long and 900 feet tall. When the water was flowing over the falls it would have been 300 feet deep and reached speeds of 60+ miles per hour. This ripping force tore away the columnar lava flows in the area easily forming these great gashes, called coulees, in the landscape. It is a wet year in the northwest and all the dams in the area show this. The spillways are running at or near capacity to keep the level of the lakes from becoming higher than dam design. This makes for a very dramatic scene and the sound is nothing but pure power. Of course the Corps of Engineers sees this as a tremendous loss of resouces, energy and irrigation that will be needed someday. On our tour of Grand Coulee Dam where we got a ride across the dam in a bus and a stop to look over the dam to the spillway with its flowing water. Several days later we toured the Chief Joseph Dam, about 30 miles from Coulee City at the town of Bridgeport. This turned out to be a hidden gem. We pulled up to the security gate and called the security office. It indicated tours were available so we asked for a tour. We were checked through security, ID's, car inspection, under the hood, opening doors and hatch, and finally using a mirror to check under the car. Then we were given our visitors badge and directed to park in an area where the tour guide would meet us. After a wait of about 10 minutes our tour guide arrived. She loaded us into a golf cart, just Louise and I, no one else. Hard hats were brought along, this was going to be good. We drove past the power house with its 28 generators all in a row, right up to the base of the dam. Unlock the door and we were inside the base of the dam. An elevator took us to the top where we were able to look over the side of the dam above and get the layout of the flow of the Columbia River up to the dam. This dam is a "flow of the river" dam, designed to allow all the rivers flow through the dam. As a result there is only a small lake above the dam. Even with 28 generators, there was still water going over the spillway here. We walked down several flights of stairs to the trunion bridge. This is a walkway along the front of the dam at the level of the trunions or bearings on which the flood gates pivot up and down. Just below and in front of us we were looking at the water spewing from below the gates which were all lifted except for four and an additional one under repair. The roaring water on the spillway was below our feet about 20 feet. We made a pass through the visitors center which has exhibits that are only seen on tour now. In the good old days before September 11, 2001 people could drive across the dam, park on top of the structure and then walk into the visitors center and take a tour. Now the tours are on-demand and no one staffs the visitors center. We viewed a short film on construction of the dam and its operation then put on our hard hats. We were escorted into the power house to walk along the top of the generators. One was being rebuilt, new bearings, new turbine, etc. This gave us a chance to see the equipment disassembled. There was the monsterous rotor, sitting on the floor. Its massive magnets visible as were the windings of the stator past which the magnets spin to generate the 60 cycle current we all desire. Our guide points out an assembly on the floor next to the rotor and gives a Jeopardy clue then asks what those blocks look like. She mentioned automobile work and I correctly identified the brake pads which are used to stop the generator when it is shut down. Easy, they were 2 feet by 3 feet and looked about 4 inches thick. An arrangment of eight were spaced around a huge brake shoe which had a hole for the shaft, they had to be brake pads! We stand atop one of the operating generators and feel the vibrations in our feet. Then it is down a long flight of stairs to the operating floor. We walk past several generators in operation to go down a short stairway and walk right up to the spinning shaft that connects the turbine to the generator above. We are encouraged to reach out a hand a touch the shaft. For a science teacher, this is a cool as it gets! Then we go down two more flights of stairs and now we are looking a the top of the turbine assembly. This one is operating and water is flowing through the turbine just below us. We can see the actuators which move the gates that direct the water into the turbine. On our way our of the power plant we pass two small generators which provide the electrical power to operate the power plant and dam itself. I laughed and pointed out to Louise the cover of the "in-service" light atop one of the generators was off and there in all its glory was a twisty flourescent light bulb. Here we are in the middle of a facility that is generating more than 2000 megawatts and they are using a flourescent light bulb to save electricity. We were touring the dam for almost two hours. It was without a doubt the best dam tour we have ever had. The only downside was that cameras were prohibited so we have no pictures of all this great stuff. Back to the car and into Bridgeport for lunch. Surprise, this little town is larger than we expected. We are welcomed into town by a series of creative sentinals. Trees that once lined the street had died and their stumps were carved into figures of people, animals and other art forms. Wow, another unexpected find. There was an advertisement for Nel's Cafe and Bait Shop so we had to eat there! We enjoyed a nice lunch then drove around town to see what else this town offered. We found a nice RV park right along the Columbia River. As we exited the town we drove across the bridge over the Columbia River which gave us our best views of the Chief Joseph Dam. Louise snapped pictures as I drove across the bridge. Then it was back to Coulee City for a BBQ and rest watching the sun set over Banks Lake.

Another factor is that some coaches (ours is an example) have a computer (intellitec) which analyzes incoming power. If the two hot feeds are in the same phase (i.e. same incoming line or even two incoming lines that are same phase) it reads the power as 110V and will not allow more than 30A usage. The computer automatically adjusts the load on the line if we are near exceeding the incoming power. In other words it shuts off our appliances in a prearranged order to keep our usage from tripping the breaker on the campground post. We were in a campground where the 50A current was wired from feeds that were in phase and all we could get was 30A power. If the two legs are out of phase the computer will read the current as 220V (nothing in the coach uses 220V) and we get 50A usage. I don't know how the computer would react if one leg was 20A and the other 30A but I know that if the two are in phase it will not allow more than 30A usage. I am guessing that most 30A/20A boxes/posts are wired from a single line which would be a single phase feed. We are struggling with 30A power from time to time this summer. There are many things that can be done to reduce the load that the sun puts on the air coinditioners. Using awnings, sun screens, curtains, etc. can limit incoming heat through windows. Also parking position can help. Park facing north if at all possible that keeps the sun off the windshield as much as possible. Sun on our rear end warms the engine and our closet. Much better insulated than the windshield. I also make a habit of opening the engine compartment when we park after driving to help vent engine heat away from the motor home. I do the same with the generator when it has been running before we park. We also run the air to lower the temperature early in the morning to get a "running start" on the heat of the day. We have a Vornado compact floor fan which we carry with us all the time. It helps to give the air some additional movement. Limiting indoor cooking other than the microwave also helps. Think about other appliances which get hot during use, hair dryers, TV's, etc. Finally, eliminating as much moisture from the motor home will assist the air conditioners with their work. Removing water from the air takes a good deal of the cooling capacity of the air conditioner. Shower at the park showers, dry towels and swimwear outdoors, if you shower in your rig, squeege the shower walls and floor to get the water down the drain. Don't boil water on the stove. All these things will help the air conditioner keep you cooler.

We drove a 94 Dynasty w/Cummins C350 for three years and towed a light weight sedan for two of those years. Then we purchased our present toad which comes in at 5800 pounds. I couldn't tell the difference between the two. I could detect a little better performance when we didn't have the toad but it wasn't that big a deal. I wouldn't hesitate to tow the heavier vehicle. You will need a little more stopping room, even with the supplemental breaking system you should install. Starts and hill climbs will be a little slower than the coach by itself. More weight does mean a little lower fuel mileage. When you get to where you're going you will have the vehicle you want to go exploring.

The manual for our coach had an extensive listing of the amperage for various pieces of equipment installed on the coach (TV, water heater, refrigerator, etc.) as well as those items which might be carried in your motor home (coffee maker, hair dryer, vacuum cleaner, etc.). You can also look on the labels on most electrical devices to find the amperage that each draws. We are fortunate to have a monitoring system that allows me to see just what our use is at any time. Once you have a little experience it only takes a little extra thought and care to stay with 30A. We in 100 degree heat right now with 30A service. We're only here for two days and I haven't put up the sun screens so I'm paying the price. I do have all the awnings out. Still the afternoon sun is shining brightly on the windshield. Until it starts to fade in the evening we'll be a little warmer than normal. One air conditioner would work fine if I had the window screens on. Tomorrow we'll be back in a park with 50A.

Regarding air leveling and parking on the tires for an extended period of time, we have done this each winter for eleven years. Each fall when we park at our winter campground I inflate the tires to the maximum pressure. Our tires and rims specify 120 pounds maximum. Use the smaller maximum if there is a difference. As the winter goes on, I'll top them off during the cold weather then bleed them as needed when it warms up. If you are going to park longer than six months, I would purchase a hydraulic jack capable of lifting each axle of the coach and then put it up on blocks to at least take some of the weight off the tires. Another important factor is the parking surface. I put wood 2x12's under each wheel to keep them off the dirt, grass, concrete or asphalt surface. Make sure that the entire tire footprint is supported on any parking surface. I have a friend who purchased plastic cutting boards at Wal-Mart and parks on those. Finally you should purchase a set of tire covers to protect the tires from UV light which will casue a loss of flexibility and cracking of the sidewalls. In any event, tire manufacturers advise that seven years is the maximum safe life of tires. Even if your tread looks good, the tires will need to be replaced after seven years.

We had a check valve at the outlet of our water heater. The interior works of the valve were made of plastic. When the plastic broke, the remains of the plastic would periodically block the opening causing a low or no water pressure on the hot water side. We would have had the valve removed but the tech working on it was afraid he would break the water heater trying to loosen it. So he removed the "works" that remained in the valve. That ended our problems. He said we would have hot water problems, mixing with cold water but I'm convinced that the only real reason for that check valve is to allow you to winterize your motor home with antifreeze without having to fill the entire water heater. With the check valve and the typical by pass piping you can fill the water pipes cold and hot without having to fill the water heater with antifreeze. Being full timers we winterize by going south so we weren't worried about antifreeze. We never noticed any deficiency in the quality of the hot water after the valve was effectively neutered! A year ago we had a different tech work on the water heater which had developed a slow leak. He found the check valve was cross threaded, thus the difficulty in removing it. He got it out with an impact wrench and replaced it with a good (I verified, all brass) check valve so we are equipped better than new.

1. How many miles do you typically dinghy tow your vehicle yearly? 12,000 miles 2. What is the total tow mileage you have on your vehicle now? 116,788 3. What is the total tow mileage you expect to put on the vehicle before you upgrade to a new vehicle? 200,000+ 4. When towing, what is the average amount of time between stops? (be it restroom or fuel) I guess about 3 hours 5. How often do you stop for a period of 10 min or more? (be it restroom, stretch, eat, fuel) 4-5 times per driving day (could be 12 to 14 hours) 6. What is your preferred cruising speed? 62 MPH 7. Do you use a rock shield? Yes 8. Where does the rock shield mount? (bumper,towbar,dinghy, or... so what type) Towbar

I had Safe-T-Steer installed on our first motor home. It made a significant difference in how the coach handled. There are better, more expensive systems but this was good enough to improve the steering on that coach, a 1994 Monaco Dynasty. Our current coach handles well enough that I haven't worried about having any after market product installed. If you are going to have an alignment done, and I recommend that in any case, get the recommended specs from your manufacturer. Give those specs to the shop that will do the alignment.

I bought a dash cover from one of the above quoted suppliers. Their cover didn't completely cover the dash and I wasn't pleased with the product so I returned it for a refund. Instructions with the product said to cut it to fit defrosters, fans, and any other permanent objects on the dash. So I figured if I was going to cut carpet anyway, I might as well get an inexpensive piece and have at it. I went to Home Depot and bought a remnant that was a good match for our interior decor for about $29. There was enough carpet to make two covers. I used newspaper, taped together into a large piece, to cover the dash. I cut it to the shape of the dash complete with cut-outs for the windshield defrosters and dash fans. The instrument panel has a raised area and I cut a separate piece of newspaper to fit that raised area. I used the patterns to cut both pieces out of the remnant. I placed the carpet on a tile floor with the top side of the carpet on the floor. I put the pattern on top, upside down and then drew around the pattern on the back of the carpet with a permanent marker. I used a utility knife to cut through the carpet backing along the line drawn on the back of the carpet. A heavy scissors completed the cut by cutting through the fabric of the carpet. When I placed them on the dash the fit was good enough that the main piece didn't move without any further attachment. I thought I would have to attach the two pieces but they have stayed in place without glue, tape or any other attachment. Both pieces are simply form fit and stay where they are placed. The piece on top of the instrument panel overlaps the main piece and the friction of the edges with the main section keep it in place. I can simply pick up the pieces and clean under them when needed and then place them back on the dash. No slippage, they do the job of taking the glare off the dash and provide a non-slip surface for objects while traveling. I intended to have the edges surged to keep them from raveling but it has proved to be a non-issue. I still have the remainder of the original remnant so I could make another when the first one wears out. I made the original in November 2005 and it is still on the dash.

We started out with a trip of about 15 miles. I turned a corner and dumped some dishes out of a cabinet. Go slow on corners! In fact, just go slow. It is what RV's are known for you know. No matter how fast you drive, traffic will speed up to get past you! After our 15 mile trip we stayed parked for a month, just getting to know the motor home and getting used to the utilities and rearranging everything in compartments. When we needed something we were just a few miles from home. If we found things we didn't need we were just a few miles from home. Then we set out on a 2500 mile round trip in a week and a half. After I got used to driving, I put Louise in the drivers seat on some straight four lane little traveled road. I didn't think I would get the wheel back she enjoyed it so much. She still does. We got lost trying to find our first RV park on the road, drove some interesting roads and ended up boonedocking our first night on the road. Now we use bungees on the cabinets with dishes! We have the campground guide book open to the page with directions as we locate a park that is unfamiliar to us. We know what kind of gas stations we can get into and out of. We look twice before turning down any road. The first several years we occasionally had to stop and unhook the toad so we could turn around. You will live and learn!

Try both and see what you like. Be aware that a KOA park in one city is not necessarily like a KOA in another. The same is true of Good Sam Parks. So you can't try just one and draw any kind of conclusion. These parks aren't like McDonalds or Wal-Mart. Each is different. Some are near railroad tracks, others are in remote quiet areas. One might be better in a given location while the other might be better in other areas. We avoid one, personal preference, we stay most often at neither. There are lots of nice parks out there that are not part of either franchise. Everyone has their own personal ideas of what they like and don't like in an RV park. There are two phone book size directories which have basic information about all parks. We use both directories extensively. There is also a web site that might help you decide which parks to patronize. RV Park Reviews has over 150,000 reviews from people who have visited most parks in the US and have sent in an evaluation. Reading reviews you will realize that individuals have different preferences. The same park will get a 10 (highest rating) from one or two people and a 2 from someone else. The written comments are most enlightening. For ourselves, we are happy with a park if we can get the rig level, have full hookups with good electric and are able to get in and out easily. We spend most of our time out and about the community rather than in the park. Enjoy the search.

When you say keep the sun out, are you speaking only of the light of the sun or are you looking to reduce the heat from the sun? For light, aluminum will be better than plastic unless you get the special plastic made for room darkening. Neither will do much to reduce heat from the sun. Once the sun's rays (visible light and infrared) pass through the glass they are trapped inside. It is the greenhouse effect in minerature. The sunlight heats objects inside the coach, blinds, furniture, dash, carpet, etc. They are nowhere near as hot as the sun so the wavelength of heat (infrared radiation) they radiate won't go back out through the glass. If you want to stop the heat of the sun think of an external window cover that stops the rays of the sun before they enter the coach. The best is awnings, next in effectiveness would be the sun screens you see on many coaches (window tinting would rank here also) and least effective would be internal shades. We have external sunscreens for all our windows and use our awnings always when parked during hot weather. We also close the curtains and window shades when it is really hot. We gave up the pleated day/night shades last spring and replaced them all with roller shades from MCD Innovations. We've had them for a year now and I would never own another coach without them.

Since your coach is new to you, this would be a good excuse to do some digging and learn more about this complex vehicle. Some coaches have a heat supply from the furnace to the basement, not all do. Do some checking and see how where your furnace ducts go. A small mirror on a extension wand is a basic tool for working in RV's. If you don't have one, they are not expensive, pick one up at a hardware store. They are handy for looking around corners. Get into the owners manual and find out if you have a winter heating package which includes heat pads (110V) under the holding tanks. Again, some coaches have them but this is usually a deluxe item, not something standard on all coaches. After checking all this, begin looking for the lines from the freshwater tank to the water pump and on through the coach to the various places where water is used. If lines are exposed, you can insulate them yourself. Pick up some styrofoam pipe insulation at the hardware store and wrap all the pipes you can access. Check all the gaskets on the basement compartment doors and replace any worn gaskets to get the best possible seal around the doors. Be careful rigging heat in the basement. I'll never forget my fathers efforts to keep the dog warm one very cold midwestern winter. He put a light bulb in the dog house. We caught it when it started smoking. Dad was a volunteer fireman. Had we called the fire department he would have never lived it down. If you encounter really cold weather on this trip, there are strategies you can use to mitigate the effects of the cold. You could plan a trip on a southern route or to go around higher elevations until you are directly south of Ohio and then make a daytime run north going for home. Usually you won't encounter the coldest weather when you drive but rather when you park for the night. If the nights are really cold, you might keep the temperature warmer than normal to keep the basement warmer. With a warm house above, the basement shouldn't get colder than 10 degrees above the outdoor temperature. If you have piipes along the outside walls of your coach (under cabinets in the kitchen and bath), leave the doors of those cabinets open so heat can better circulate to the pipes in those areas. Another strategy you can use is to periodically run a little water from each of your faucets, the shower and toilet. If a line fails to respond it's time to get some heat to it. Grab your wife's hair dryer!