tbutler

For my money, nothing beats and FMCA Convention! If it is motor homes you want to see, you won't be distracted by dozens of trailers, etc. Check the convention schedule for the coming year. You can attend even if you don't own a motor home. By the way, you meet thousands of motor home enthusiasts who are more than a little willing to talk about their motor home! All this and there are workshops on a wide variety of topics and entertainment. By the way, Neal and Carol, we used to live in the St. Louis area before we bought our motor home!

Green Beaver is on target! We have used the RM Motor Carrier's Atlases for years. The detail is great and the large-scale version is perfect for those of us who find tiny type difficult to read while bumping down the road. They are laminated and will last longer than you want to keep them. We still go back to the large scale version that is several years old for detail we can't get in the regular version. This all being said, today I put the computer with MS Streets and Trips in front of my technophobe wife and I think she will likely not use the maps again. She said something to me yesterday about not having the detailed view of some small town in western Nevada and I thought, "I'll bet the GPS maps would answer that question." So I set everything up for her today. We were in new country, on a route we'd never taken before. She was into the maps on the computer in no time. I could tell she was enjoying the whole "new" process when she started offering me several different routes to save time/distance. She noted all the small side roads that were showing up on the computer. At one point she started reading off all the information on the screen to me and I knew my life would never be the same! Now we have two GPS units, his and hers. It is still good to grab the map for an overview sometimes but nothing beats the detail you can get from GPS maps. Only time will tell if we ever rely on the paper maps like we have in the past! Now, this is the FMCA web site, so I must confess that this summer while traveling with Pipewrenchgrip and Laura they were able to locate Wal-Marts better than our GPS using the FMCA Atlas.

We've had a number of these kinds of queries and if your dealer or E-Bay doesn't help, check the RV salvage shops. There are several entries among these posts (use the search feature) that give references for RV salvage. Some of these salvage yards specialize in manuals and documentation. They do ship across the country so you wouldn't have to be near one to get satisfactory results.

I've never had to worry about the seals on my windows. I hand wash the motor home frequently and always check to see how the seals look. I'm on top of any evidence of water leakage and have never seen any evidence of leaks around the windows. I did have an awning that wasn't sealed properly when it was factory installed. It took some searching to find that leak but we eventually got it. I've had an air conditioner leak but we seem to have that taken care of as well. Recently we had the satellite dish replaced and when it rained we had water dripping from the crank-up antenna. I took off the dish and caulked generously and everything has been dry since. We just came through a 3" rain in California so I'm pretty confident that for now everything is tight. It's an ongoing battle though. You have to be ever vigilant, always on the look out for the next leak. If I were to caulk the windows, I would talk to the dealer or an RV repair shop to get their recommendation for the best kind of caulk to use on your surfaces and then purchase the best quality you can get your hands on. Clean all surfaces carefully and the apply the caulk with the hope that I wouldn't have to do this every year. You should be able to get four or five years out of a good caulking job if not more. When the caulking starts to show signs of wearing or coming loose, I'd begin a systematic replacement of the caulk, two or three windows one year, another two or three the next year, etc.

Thanks Bill, Yes, deserts can be hot but they can also be cold. There are usually periods of time when they are comfortable. For the southwest US, that time is usually the spring and fall. Like much of that area, there are days in the winter when temperatures are quite comfortable. Sun is usually a given so be prepared with sun screen and bring water. We didn't have our 4 wheel drive Trailblazer when we visited Joshua Tree but there were roads there that were suitable for them. More so in some of the deserts I'll describe in coming installments. Louise's computer died so my work is cut out for me, working on reviving it instead of blogging. The word for two or more of those spiny things is cacti.

We have our wine glasses hanging from an overhead rack in the top space of the pantry. Every other one is wrapped in the sponge/non-slip material. The front one in each row is unwrapped and easy to access. If we need more then we have to start unwrapping. We have eliminated most of our glass tumblers and use plastic now. These are stacked between the glass coffee mugs thus separating the glass items. We now have completely gone to plastic plates and bowls but before that we used the non-slip material between each one.

I got a complete set for our rig from our motor home manufacturer before Monaco went bankrupt. I understand that the parts department is back up and running again under the new Monaco LLC/Navistar Corporation. If you have a Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Safari or Beaver you might try contacting them. I have the following contact for Monaco LLC: 877 4Monaco (877-466-6226). If you don't have a Monaco, you might try your manufacturer or give Atwood a call. You will need to know how many you need for the right side and left side of the motor home. They're cheap, I'd order extras. I have a bad history of snagging them when washing windows or hitting them with a wash brush! They break really easily, more so as they age.

Greg and Diana, Welcome to FMCA! I have no experience with either company. I would be cautious about a no inspection warranty, look for exclusions or exclusion periods within such a contract. I would consider the inspection process to be an advantage for you because it establishes their assessment of the condition of the coach which should reduce any hedging on a claim. Also, if they refuse you because of the inspection they should be able to tell you what areas they were concerned with. That could give you a chance to fix some problems before they become serious or cause an emergency condition or repair. Be aware that some shops will refuse to work with some warranty companies. You may find yourself in a situation where you have to pay for the repair up front to later be reimbursed by the warranty company. In such a case, be sure you and preferably the repair shop discuss the repair with the warranty company before any work is done. You could check with local RV, chassis and Cummins shops to find out if they have experience with either company and how they would feel about working with those companies. Examine any contract for conditions such as extreme maintenance schedules. We had an extended warranty contract that specified oil changes more frequently than Cummins recommendations. You have to abide by their conditions to keep your contract in effect and you have to keep paperwork to prove your compliance.

Wayne, If you check the bottom of the Forum page, you can see who is online at any given time. I just checked and it shows the following activity as I write this post. 33 guests, 5 members, 0 anonymous members TBUTLER, Google.com, Rosco, wolfe10, -Gramps-, mikev Note Google.com, anyone can view the forum. Visitors may comment to FMCA under the Home tab on the home page (look for the menu choice - Contact FMCA). Visitors of course can't log onto the site and take part in the Forum discussions until they register. Visitors are a great source of potential members for FMCA. This makes the forum a win-win situation. We discuss and solve problems, FMCA draws in thousands of contacts that could "discover" FMCA and motorhoming. It is good for all of us. It does, however, mean that anything we put on here is available to anyone who pops in to take a look. This is true for the photos and blogs as well. For those with sticks and bricks homes, leaving real-time information about their travels could expose their homes while they are away. Other personal information, e-mail address, full name, etc. could also be used by sinister characters, so be cautious about what you put in the public domain. I have known this since I signed on and assumed that others did also. Perhaps it should be clearly posted somewhere in the sign-up process.

Brian, I am logged on until I don't check in for several days and then I'll have to log on again. I haven't probed exactly what that time period is but it is on the order of days. If you aren't on the FMCA web site for an extended period, you will be logged off. I use a T-Mobile air card or Wi-Fi for my access so don't think it is switching back and forth from one form of access to another. My browser is Firefox and I use no special means to maintain a connection when I am on line.

I hope your other commitments aren't too serious. We'll be waiting for your return. Bon Voyage Seajay!

Mike, Our large slide rides on the rack and pinion gear which is on the lower portion of a 2" x 2" beam so when it is lubricated, I am lubricating the supporting mechanism. This beam rides on a set of rollers. Our smaller bedroom slide rides on rollers. The rollers can be lubricated but there is no need to lubricate the slide itself. If your slide has areas that support it that are not on rollers, then you may have to lubricate those areas. I think Wayne has the right idea about the lubricant, you want a dry lubricant so you won't have an accumulation of dust and dirt. I use the commercial slide out lube and haven't had any problem with the accumulation of dirt and debris.

As a classroom teacher, I learned quite quickly that general correction of a group was very ineffective. The best way to change behavior is to direct comments to the greatest offender. When that person stops their inappropriate behavior it dampens the inappropriate behavior of the rest of the group. If messages are inappropriate, then I agree, when they are removed the sender should be notified and an explanation given. Specific information will always help us know what the bounds are and when we are seen to be pushing those limits. Some will take such criticism personally but most of us are adults and can take correction without resentment. JMHO Tom Butler

Jack and Peg, We didn't spend much time in Maine this time through, just three days. We were traveling with another couple and their focus was Canada. We love Maine and have enjoyed much of the state in the past. Haven't been to Bath but I'm sure we'll get there some day. We do know where Alamo Palms is, we winter in Edinburg about 15 miles north of there. We are through Alamo on the way to and from other areas. When we sold our household goods and furniture, it really brought home how worthless most of our stuff ultimately was. It makes me look at merchandise a little differently when we are considering buying something. One strategy that I heard a full timer describe when we first hit the road was to put a sticker on everything you put in the RV and then take the sticker off when you used it. At the end of a year anything with a sticker goes. They followed that with the axiom that if you really need something you can find at Wal-Mart! The winter may not be as long as you suspect. When you are busy and anticipating some life event, time flies. I think the summer will arrive very quickly for you and you'll find yourself walking out the door to the motor home before you know it. Enjoy the journey.

Wow, a freebie! Great idea, I tried it with Louise but she started dancing. I think we need to work on it more!

Welcome Mr. McGoo! We're headed for Phoenix but will be high balling it through town headed for Tucson and then to Texas. For an interesting food stop, visit Alice Cooper's Restaurant near the stadium in Phoenix. Good food, nothing fancy, and a fun place to stop. Another favorite place we like to stop is the Bucket of Blood Saloon in Virginia City, NV. There is a band that plays there frequently, David John and the Comstock Cowboys have some great old west tunes. You'll love the saloon girls also! How long have you been full time? Share a few of your favorite restaurants with the rest of us. We might enjoy discovering a few of your favorites... Safe travels.

I'm going to add just a couple of items. First of all, the information about the pressure for the tires is correct, inflate them to the maximum pressure allowed for the tires or the rims. You can only go as high as the lower of these two pressures. Taking some weight off the tires by using the motor home jacks or jacking the axles will allow the tires to be in a more nearly perfectly round shape. Concrete is not a bad material to park on but wood (boards or plywood), plastic (a friend of ours bought a set of six cutting boards at Wal-Mart) or cardboard would all help. I've heard of using truck mudflaps for parking pads and there are also specific parking pads sold by some suppliers. The important thing here is to be certain that the full contact of the tire on the surface is supported by whatever pad you use under the tires. Do not let part of the tire contact with the surface hang off an edge. One of the worst surfaces for storing tires is asphalt. The petroleum base of the asphalt will attack the contact surface of the tire. Finally, a common source of ozone is electric motors. If the area where you are storing your motor home is in an enclosed space that has electric motors there will be elevated ozone levels which will attack the tire surfaces. There may be other spark producing equipment that produce ozone, anything which produces an electrical spark will produce ozone.

Seajay, What are you doing in Denver? I'll bet you are enjoying the great weather you've had lately! I hear that you can get helium balloons there, the big kind. With enough of them you could float your rig over the Rockies! You might even get on the national news media if you pick up some young kid! By the way, Louise knows how to keep the propane tank full. She asks me about once a week, more often if the furnace runs at night. When she asks, she has this sound in her voice that lets me know that I'm on thin ice! I report that our tank is at 50% and she says we should fill it... again. I have to admit that we did run out of propane one time. It was our first trip as full timers. We decided to stay for the month of December in Borne, TX, just north of San Antonio. We had a great stay, drove the toad back to Missouri for Christmas, returned went out for New Years Eve on the River Walk. We had a wonderful time, ate dinner at a restaurant along the River Walk (they provided lap blankets to keep us warm). We danced to the music of several bands and enjoyed the fireworks at midnight over the Tower of the Americas. That night after we got home the furnace finally used the last gasp of propane so we woke up with the temperature in the motor home in the 40's. That was our last night we had paid for at the park so we filled the propane on the way out of the park and then headed as far south in Texas as we could go! When we got to Edinburg, Texas, Louise was finally warm so we stopped at a park there and have been there every winter since. If Louise hadn't been warm at Edinburg, we'd probably have gone to Mexico or Belize or somewhere south of there!!! I haven't let the tank run out since. Lesson learned. So you are rebuilding your rig, one piece at a time. Aren't we all. I hope you get a good repair and are on the road soon. We're leaving California in a week headed for... Edinburg, Texas. I've got a tennis tournament waiting. Temperatures in the 80's and sunshine end to end. Safe and warm travels sailor.

I have made a discovery recently. Our Splendide went into an error mode a little over a week ago. I contacted Westland Sales (the Splendide sales and service for the US) and they were very helpful with diagnosing the problem (a partially melted plug on the control board) and getting me the materials (several new plugs and a new control board) I needed to repair the washer/dryer. In the process I had to remove the w/d from its cabinet. When I did, I noticed that one of the two 1" corner brackets that anchor the front of the machine was broken. When I put the w/d back in its cabinet I installed two new corner brackets. Now, we hardly notice the w/d when it goes into its spin cycle. Replacing the broken bracket has made an amazing difference. If your unit vibrates strongly, you might check to see if the machine is anchored to the floor with brackets. These are add-ons installed at the factory. Perhaps all machines do not have them and if they did at one time but the brackets break, they are useless. It took some digging to get to the brackets. Our w/d has a carpet strip on a 1x1 inch wood strip that covers the base of the machine. The brackets were under that and were screwed into the frame of the machine and the floor of the cabinet. There is a removable cover on the base of the Splendide that must be removed to get to the machine frame. The brackets were located near the corners of the machine where the front feet are. For replacements I went to the hardware store and purchased standard 1" corner brackets. The holes didn't match exactly but were close enough that I could use them on the washer. I put the screws in the cabinet floor in a slightly different location so they were in fresh wood.

Jose and Karen, You pose a good question here. The answer lies within you, not from others. I looked at your information on your profile and it looks like you enjoy the outdoors, camping near streams, fishing, hiking. I certainly haven't seen all the parks in any of these membership programs but my impression from what I have seen is that they are pretty much people who enjoy being in a retirement resort kind of community as opposed to a campground outdoors experience. You mentioned a favorite campground in Oregon. Did you get the same feeling about Thousand Hills? We are full time, no home to check on except where we are parked. We enjoy moving around and traveling to new locations. We hike, bicycle, explore and tour. The membership parks never seem to be near the places we want to be so we have never felt the need to tie ourselves to one program or another. Now, having said that, we do spend our winters in a retirement resort community so we get that experience during the time of year when we really don't want to be traveling most of the rest of the country. We have two almost opposite lifestyles with our two seasons of travel. In the winter we play tennis, golf, bowl and swim. We have happy hour with friends, eat community meals, have dances and musicals and plays for entertainment. When we hit the road we visit friends and relatives, children and grandchildren, travel to new parts of the country, attend rallies or conventions, whatever interests us. We like to get to national parks and nature areas that are often remote. Our campground fees go up in the summer but it isn't forever. People who have park memberships seem to talk about the money they are saving. We'd rather get out and see the things we want and not be tied to a few locations. Depending on how you want to travel, membership park programs could fit your needs or not. If you do decide to go with a membership park program, individuals who are members do sell their membership and you may be able to save some money going this route.

I would check with your transmission manufacturer's data on the transmission. The safe temperatures should be specified for your transmission. They will be a range of temperatures. With fairly level roads, temperatures should be near the middle of the range, with hills slightly higher. When you get to the mountains look for the temperatures to be nearer the high end of the safe range. Safe temperature ranges (probably referred to as normal temperatures) for the transmission are independent of the road conditions and load. The equipment is designed to operate within a specific temperature range and anything outside this temperature range may damage the transmission.

And then you think you know your service people and this happens... We went to Cummins (not a dealer or third party, THE Cummins Shop) in the Denver area, Aurora I think. Anyway, we parked there overnight with electric hook up. The next morning we're in the shop early. These places have a knack for turning a one hour job into three. We're in the waiting room overlooking the shop floor and our motor home. There is plenty of time when no one is around the motor home, the job is going slow. A little later I look and the motor home is part way out of the shop. They are cleaning up something under the motor home. It turns out they had finished the job and started the engine when they realized they forgot to install the new oil filter. They cleaned the engine. When they turned the motor home over to us, I checked it and had them clean the rear tires and re-do the inside of the engine compartment. We needed some tire work done and Cummins recommended a tire shop in Denver that does work for them, TDS. We went there and got tires rotated and an alignment done. We were experiencing strong vibration on the front tires. After the job was done it was no better but we were down the road headed to Phoenix. We went to the Freightliner shop in Phoenix where they told us the front wheel was cracked. If it was cracked before TDS worked on it, they should have noticed it. I concluded that they over-torqued the lug nuts on the front wheels. Now when I go to a tire shop I tell them that I expect the lug nuts torqued. We had a flat tire at the FMCA Convention in Minneapolis in 2008. It was some road debris that we picked up coming into Minneapolis or at the FMCA assembly area. The tire went completely flat on the drive from the assembly area to the convention. We had the tire repaired on site but when the second dual carries all the weight it will be damaged so both tires were replaced at the Goodyear Wingfoot facility south of Minneapolis. I ended up basically giving them a lesson in tire installation. They were going to slop the tires on the rims and run me out of the shop. I had to instruct them in how to mount steer tires, check for out of round, how to correct it. After watching the first error from inside the motor home, I was in the shop watching the job and checking readings for out of round, watching the torquing of lug nuts. It was absolutely the worst tire job I have ever seen. I haven't decided if they just figured this RV rube wouldn't know the difference or if they really were that incompetent. Camping World in Mission, TX replaced the computer control board for our Splendide washer/dryer two and a half years ago. It just quit working again. I called Westland Sales this time with the error code and discussed the problem. The tech immediately identified the problem. I tore down the w/d and sure enough, it was a burned/melted plug on the computer board. I called the tech at Westland Sales back and discussed what I found. They shipped me a new control board and a new surge protector. The board comes with three plugs with pigtails to be spliced into the existing lines thus replacing the old plugs. The instructions are clear, the new plugs are to be used. Camping World hadn't replaced the plug that failed, it had never been spliced. Their short cut cost me nearly $300. I watched the whole job and never saw the replacement plugs. They had clearly removed them before they left the shop, I would never know the difference... but now I do! I had an awning failure, collapsed when filled with water. I went to Freedom RV in Wentzville to have a new Carefree Mirage awning installed. They removed the old one and installed the new one. They couldn't get it to fit onto the baseplate above the front door because of the curvature of the motor home. I should have blown the whistle right there but didn't. They put some extra screws in it and caulked it and we were on our way. Arriving at our first park, I opened the awning and noticed that the case pulled away from the motor home significantly as the awning extended to its full length. I called Freedom RV and we eventually took the motor home back in to have the awning re-installed. I had them start putting the awning on the base plate at the front of the motor home and then work it back. Pop, it went on perfectly! The senior tech remarked in amazement, "That was easy!" I knew that awning had to be able to go on the base plate properly, the old one was on there properly... I'm still trying to get the auto generator start to work properly after having Camping World in Wheat Ridge, CO install a new inverter and auto gen start last spring. I returned to get some work re-done before we left town but at our first overnight the generator wouldn't start automatically and it still won't. I have a service number assigned from Xantrex but after three weeks, haven't heard a word from their tech department. I've e-mailed them about this and they still haven't responded. I have an appointment in Tucson to have them take a look at the auto generator start. We've been on the road for eight plus years and have had many good repair jobs and proper service work, the above represent only a small percentage of the numerous trips to shops. If I do the work and screw it up because of my lack of knowledge, I'll accept that, I'm just an RV rube. I really resent it when the "pros" slop through a job and fail to complete it properly. So now I no longer trust anyone to do a job properly. Trust but verify. If you can't see the work being done, go somewhere else. If they won't let you in the shop and most places won't, watch from just outside the shop door. When you see a problem, talk to the tech doing the work. If you aren't satisfied, talk to the shop foreman or the service representative. I love to be able to watch someone work on my motor home, I figure I'm getting a lesson in how to do the work next time. Even if it is impossible for me to do the service or repair, it helps me understand my equipment.

Where is that darned pink bunny when you need him? Guess he was at the space station that day! Seajay you should share with us your technique for getting the last of the tooth paste out of a tube. If you can make a set of batteries last 6 years, you can probably make an empty tooth paste tube last for at least a week! I always enjoy your sense of humor. Thanks for the tip. Tom

Our '94 Dynasty had the same size tires as standard truck tires. The truck tires were cheaper and worked fine. We were advised to get the "steer" tires, not the drive tires. If you can find a standard truck tire to fit your RV, there is no reason I can see to go with the RV tire. The claim is that the RV tires give a softer ride but honestly, I can't tell the difference. We have the 670RV on our rig now, came on it when new and I'm replacing them with the same size RV tires. I'm on a rotation replacement plan of my own design. I had a flat tire in 2006 and replaced two tires. Last year I replaced two more and next year I'll replace the last two original tires. As a result, I only have to buy two tires at a time. The down side of this is that I need to keep the same size/type of tire so I can move them from the front to the rear axle. As to the Cooper or Toyo tires, I believe many motor homes come from the manufacturer with Toyo tires. I'm a Goodyear fan myself (If I buy six more I get a free ride in the blimp! )so no experience there.

Thanks for your thoughts retiredblade, I'm curious as to what it was that you didn't like about Joshua Tree. We thought there were many things to explore there and enjoyed the hiking and exploring. I'm sure our interests are somewhat different and that affects our impression of one desert or another. We haven't been to Organ Pipes National Monument so I'll put that on our list. Tom