tbutler

Several Seminars that I will recommend for all RV'ers if you haven't been to them already. These are my personal recommendations. My intent is not to take away from other excellent seminars at the convention. See: Conventions:Bowling Green:Seminars on the FMCA Home Page for a full listing of all seminars. I have attended all these seminars in the past. They are all safety oriented and they are worth your time and in one circumstance, your money. Most of these deal with hot topics on the forum. The convention in Bowling Green will be your opportunity to learn more about these important subjects. FIRE & LIFE SAFETY IN YOUR RV, SEMINAR 14 - Monday 8:15a.m., Tuesday 3:00 p.m., Thursday 11:30 a.m. You must hear this presentation. Mac McCoy is an excellent presenter and the information is of life and death importance. I asked Louise to attend this seminar after I did. She was as impressed as I was with this seminar. SUPPLEMENTAL TOWED CAR BRAKING, SEMINAR 3 - Monday 10:00 a.m. There are lots of questions about this on the forum and here is a chance to get the word from experts. The exhibitors at the convention are the presenters. RV WEIGHT & TIRE SAFETY, SEMINAR 2 - Tuesday 9:45 a.m. If you haven't been to this seminar in the past, it is a must. You will learn how to determine your proper tire inflation pressure. Be sure to sign up for the coach weighing which is done on the last day of the convention. You will get individual weights for each wheel position on your motor home. This is the essential starting point for determining proper tire pressure. RV DRIVING SAFETY PROGRAM, SESSION 1, SEMINAR 13 - 9:45 a.m. Tuesday and SESSION 2, Seminar 13 - 9:45 a.m. Wednesday. This is the best $20 and 6 hours you could spend at the convention. Three hours Tuesday, three hours Wednesday. If you own or drive an RV, you must attend this seminar and take notes! I blew a front tire at 55 miles per hour and suffered very little damage to the coach because I learned what was happening, why it happened and how to manage it in this seminar. Only one of dozens of things that are covered in these sessions. This seminar alone can make the whole convention worthwhile. Have I said enough? You may also be able to get a discount on your insurance with your certificate of completion for this course. Check with your insurance company. Notice there are conflicts so you may not see all these in one year. Good reason to return next year! And just when you think you know it all, things change. If you haven't been to these seminars in several years it might be good to drop in again to find out what is new - or what you forgot you knew! For those new to FMCA Conventions, a reminder: If this is your first FMCA convention, don't miss the ORIENTATION FOR FIRST-TIME ATTENDEES, SEMINAR 11 - Monday 11:45 a.m. One final disclaimer: Check your convention program to verify dates and times of seminars. See you in Bowling Green!

The thermometer was within striking distance of 100 degrees for the last week here in Missouri. During the day the air conditioners ran almost continuously even with our sun screens on all our windows. Since we are full timers we had sun screens custom made for all our windows. Motor Coach Designs took the measurements over the phone and we had them installed at the Monaco International Rally before the FMCA Convention in Redmond, Oregon in 2004. We don't use them all the time but if the weather is really hot or if we are parked in warm weather for a longer time, I'll put them on the motor home. They make a real difference. At our winter retreat in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, we have them on all winter long. Where we are now in my daughter's driveway, we have nice shade in the morning but the afternoon sun shines directly on our front window followed by late afternoon sun on the passenger side of the coach. Awnings provide a little relief as well and we use them on the windows that have them. Last year I installed one over the living room window on the passenger side. Normally this window would be covered by the large awning but that awning is a Carefree of Colorado Mirage Awning. It is a very convenient power awning but can't stand the wind. Our winter residence in Texas regularly has winds greater than the 12 MPH limit for the awning. As a result there are many days when the awning can't be out. I finally broke down and installed the smaller window awning under the large awning. It has been worth the expense. Now I have a confession to make. I recently had the large Mirage awning out late one evening to keep the afternoon sun off the side of the coach and out of my eyes as it peeked under the side of the window awning. After the sun set, I thought about it several times but was never up and moving around when the thought crossed my mind. So that night we went to bed with the awning out. I awoke at 3:00 a.m. to a loud crash. During the night a rain shower had come through. Water doesn't drain off the Mirage Awning, it pools on the awning. Carefree has a wind sensor for this awning but it doesn't have a rain sensor. I had several incidents before where small showers pooled water on the awning and I was always amazed that the arms supporting the awning held the weight of the water. This time, there was too much rain and the awning collapsed. One arm was bent almost to the ground. Another was bent slightly and the one by the front door was sticking out straight, right through the canvas that had ripped almost all the way to the door. I was able to bring the awning in to secure it out of the wind which was now blowing strong enough to make it flap. Where was the wind before the storm? It could have saved my dignity. I called our insurance company, GMAC, and confessed that I had failed to close the awning. They took the information and asked for an estimate on the repairs. They would cut the check as soon as they had the estimate. We have never had an argument from GMAC about paying a claim. So I'm off to Freedom RV in Wentzville for some repair work. I downloaded the service manual for the awning from the Carefree web site and set out to disassemble the arms and canvas so I could drive to the shop. I took the motor home in for an estimate on Thursday the 18th, parts were ordered on Friday and shipped from Carefree the following Friday. As soon as they arrive, we'll get in to have the work done and then we'll set out for Monaco International and FMCA in Ohio. The week ahead looks a little cooler so that is a break and the awning repair won't necessitate any painting. All the painted parts of the awning survived without damage as did the side of the coach. It should be a one day job. Lucky me!

I've been reading about the battery cut-off switch which some are calling the Salesman's Switch. The nickname comes from the fact that there is a battery cut-off switch in the power panel near the battery compartment. You have to have a key to get into that compartment. So, Monaco installed a switch by the door so a salesman showing the coach to a prospective customer could walk in the door and turn on the battery power with a flick of the switch by the door. The bottom line on this is that the savvy users are simply bypassing the relay by connecting the two large cables on either side of the relay. This effectively makes the switch by the door inoperative and you would have to cut off battery power at the panel in the rear near the batteries. Why buy a relay that is not needed? Simply bypass it with a loop of heavy wire or remove the relay entirely and connect the two wires together directly.

If you haven't found it yet, everyone reading this topic should also take a look at a recently posted response to an article under Legislative action: Registering an RV using a Montana LLC. The third post by tmoning has links to two articles about motor home registrations in Montana that have backfired on their motor home owners. Certainly something to think about!

We will always get electric hook-ups if possible. I have been to rallies where there was no electric available. You can make it with a generator. The fuel usage is minimal, ours is a 7.5 KW Onan and uses between 1/4 and 1/2 gallon per hour depending on the load. Do be sure to park with plenty of fuel as most coaches have a fuel cut-off for the generator at about 1/4 tank. Once you get below 1/4 tank, you will lose your generator! One time we parked with less than a 1/4 tank of diesel and the electric wasn't turned on until the next day. It was a hot miserable night! Another consideration for you. If you do plan to use the generator, you may be parked on grass. In this circumstance, we have been asked to place a pan of water below the exhaust pipe for the generator to prevent the possibility of starting a fire. Bring an old cake pan or other flat wide pan to use for water just in case. Some people also use some kind of stack to route the exhaust gases up and away from the motor home. We have never done this but you might need something if you are concerned about the exhaust gases entering your motor home or disturbing your neighbors. You will be parked pretty much cheek by jowl. I can usually get my large awning out to its full extension! The advice on the water/waste tanks is excellent. Last year at Minneapolis we had the best site ever for FMCA. We were in the regular campground for the fairgrounds. The electric was on when we parked and we had a 200' walk to the showers. The shower rooms were nice and clean and we got a good shower every day! I don't expect to get that kind of break every year!

Doug, I've been following your trip on your blog. Thanks for the update on the fuel mileage. Now that you have picked up the toad, we'll find out how it affects your fuel mileage on the return trip! You may be able to offset the additional weight and its effect on your mileage with your anticipated slower travel. Enjoy the trip home.

Here is an interesting web site that addresses your question with a series of analysis you can do to determine where the electric is going! If you go through the processes described here, you can find out if you have something drawing down your battery. One question, were you storing your motor home before taking it to CW for the adapter boxes? If so, I would assume the batteries were holding with no problem. This would make the adapter boxes and their installation suspect and you can start with a close look at them. If you just started storing the coach, then it could be anything. There are a number of electrical resources on this site. For the rest of them go to the bottom of the page and hit the HOME button! http://www.dasplace.net/BatteryPower/Battery.html

I have two things to add to this discussion. First, to Travelingsages, it is possible to adjust the overpressure adjustment on the Pressure Pro but it is system wide, you can't adjust just the overpressure on the toad. I would go ahead and adjust the overpressure limit to 15 or even 20% for the whole system. My motor home tires regularly go up 15 to 20 pounds when driving on a hot summer day. Also, when you are in a warmer area and your tire pressure goes up as it will in warmer locations, bleed off some air. Do this when the tires are cold in the morning, set the pressure where you want it with a tire gauge. When you do this, it should take you over one minute. This will re-set the Pressure Pro to the new pressure in the tire and then you shouldn't have any problem with the overpressure alarm. Pressure Pro monitors your tires but it is not an install and forget it system. You should be adjusting your tire pressures for seasonal changes in temperature. Traveling may also bring about the need for pressure adjustments. Moving from cool mountain temperatures in summer to hot temperatures at lower altitudes also require adjusting tire pressure. Likewise, going from hot summer temperatures like the current near 100 degrees in Texas to mountain temperatures in the 60's and 70's in the summer will require tire pressure adjustments also. Of course these statements apply to the toad and your motor home as well. My second point, I recently had an incident that proved the value of the Pressure Pro. We were parked in an RV park near Springfield, Illinois. We were traveling with our grandsons and planning on doing some sightseeing the next day. As I prepared to go to bed, the alarm on the Pressure Pro went off. I checked and the alarm was for the right rear tire on the toad. The pressure was about 5 pounds low. I wasn't going to do anything with it at that time, I went to bed resolved to finding a flat tire the next morning. When I got up and went outside, the tire was still inflated and the pressure hadn't dropped too much so I drove to a tire shop and got the tire repaired. It was a large bolt that we had run over. Without the Pressure Pro I might not have known that the tire was losing pressure until it went completely flat. I recently replaced the set of tires on the toad and had steel tire valves installed on all wheels. They cost just $4.50 each and seem to be improving the signal strength from the sensors. I used to have a sensor or two drop out on the toad from time to time. Our last trip out they all worked 100%, no occasional dropping out.

Montie, The bubble level next to the drivers seat must be at odds with the doors and/or floor. My preference is for doors that swing neutral when level but that depends on the construction of the motor home. It is possible for the doors to be off vertical from the floor. This will result in a condition where the floor is level but the doors still swing. Use a good carpenters level and place it near the refrigerator on the floor. Level the coach using this level. Then mark the new "center" on your level by the drivers seat using a suitable marker. Or, you could realign the bubble level near the drivers seat if it can be adjusted by inserting layers of paper or other thin material (shims) under one side or the other until the bubble centers when the carpenters level shows level. Or you could carry a carpenters level and use it rather than the circular level. Why the refrigerator you ask? Because the most critical item to be level is the refrigerator. It's operation is dependent on its being close to level. Still, if it is within a degree or two of level it will work fine. So if you want to level using the doors as an indicator, do so and you should be OK with the refrigerator. If you choose to use the doors, level until they hold steady in any position and then adjust the circular bubble level by adjusting it or remarking it. In my case, I have two swinging doors, the door to the toilet and the shower door. I know we are off level if they swing strongly in one direction or the other. I'll tolerate a slight tendency to swing but not a strong swing in one direction or another. Mine are conveniently sensitive to left-right level (the shower door) and front/rear level, the toilet door. Both seem to be very close to vertical in relation to the floor.

One of the basic of tenants of towing a toad four wheels down is that the tow bar should be horizontal. I saw a motor home today towing a toad with the tow bar decidedly sloping downward toward the toad. This is a very dangerous condition. If your tow bar is above or below horizontal, you have an unstable system. The most dangerous condition is the tow bar sloping downward toward the toad. In the event of a sudden stop, the tendency of the motor home is to dip at the nose and rise at the rear. This increases the angle of the tow bar downward toward the toad. If the toad has no brakes to assist in stopping, it will push upward on the rear of the motor home and may lift the motor home enough to slide beneath the motor home. When the rear end of the motor home comes down, it will impact the toad. This will result in serious damage to the motor home and the toad. Only slightly less dangerous is a tow bar sloping upward toward the toad (also less likely). Still, in this situation, the toad could ride up over the tow bar and impact the motor home in an emergency stop. When your motor home and toad are in road ready condition, examine the tow bar to see if it slopes in one direction or the other. It should be within 5 or at the most 10 degrees of horizontal. If not, adjust the angle by installing an vertical offset in your receiver. Be sure that the strength of the adapter will match your toad weight. If an adapter isn't available, a modification of the receiver on your motor home may be necessary to adjust the angle of the tow bar. In the case which I saw on the interstate highway traveling in the opposite direction, it was a gas motor home with a front engine which further increases this tendency to dip at the nose and raise the rear of the motor home. Also, the toad was a smaller toad, likely to be without supplementary braking. Despite the smaller weight of the toad, the lighter rear end of the motor home makes this combination more likely to cause problems. Consult the installation instructions for your tow bar for verification and act accordingly.

I have the Flying J fuel prices page bookmarked and use it frequently as we travel across the country. I also have bookmarked other diesel fuel suppliers, Pilot http://www.pilotcorp.com/, TA http://www.tatravelcenters.com/, Love's http://www.loves.com/, and MSN gasoline at http://autos.msn.com/everyday/GasStationsBeta.aspx. In addition I have bookmarked a number of web sites for truckers that list all truck stops by state. These are helpful if I need to find the nearest station along my route. Trucker.com at http://www.trucker.com/TruckStops.aspx, AITA at http://www.aitaonline.com/TS/Locations.html, Truckers Choice (covers central US and some of east coast) at http://www.truckerschoice.com/truckstops.shtml, Truck Stop Info at http://www.truckstopinfoplus.com/. None of these sites have price information. What I really want to know is... are other retailers like the Mr. Fuel located just a mile from where I am parked beating Flying J consistently on diesel prices? If they are, let us all know your local information so we might look for better prices. I have never found retailers, even quick shops, beating FJ on diesel prices. Being from the area where Mr. Fuel and Flying J (Warrenton, MO) are, I knew their prices were almost always identical. But now Mr. Fuel has been consistently lower. Jim Tate might be right and if so, I need to quit going to Flying J by default and start shopping for diesel again. Meanwhile if you are traveling through Missouri on I-70, stop at Mr. Fuel at exit 203 for the best price on diesel for miles around. Prices remain at $2.399 as of today, June 23, 2009!

Welcome to the forum lp5151. I can only guess about what your problem may be. When we start our generator we have a 12V supply that is momentarily interrupted. I know that because our XM radio receiver shuts off and won't come back on until we turn it on again. I don't know what supply that is, the XM was installed by an auto shop and I think they just picked a wire and used it! For us it is a minor irritation. The awning I understand would be a more irritating problem. It could be that the awning senses a momentary interruption in electrical supply and is programmed to retract when that happens. There might be a way to wire the awning to a non-interrupted electrical supply to stop this activity. You haven't told us what kind of motor home and awning you have. Doing so may help you get linked up with someone who has had the same problem. Is your awning operated (extend/retract) on 110V or 12V? Are the control circuits 110V or 12V? The more information we have, the better answers you will get.

After taking our grandsons on a 10-day tour of three states, their younger sisters deserved a trip of their own. We took the recommendation of my sister and took them to the Toy and Miniature Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. The girls are 6 and 4, so the trip was a short one. This was for their sake and ours! Since we were traveling to Kansas City, I offered my mother, 85 years old, a ride to KC to visit my sister who lives in Liberty, Missouri. Mom said yes, then no, and finally yes, so she traveled with us. We put her in the copilot seat for the ride so she could ride in comfort. The girls were buckled up on the couch with a supply of toys and games between them. This kept them happy during the trip. We hooked up and left my daughter's home about 10 on Friday morning. We picked up my mother about 20 minutes later. The trip to Kansas City from Foristell, Missouri, is about 200 miles. We stopped for lunch at a rest stop near Boonville, about halfway across the state. After eating, we didn't hear much from the girls. I had a nice conversation with my mother during the trip. My wife, Louise, was napping in the back after the girls went to sleep. My sister met us at an interchange on the highway, where we transferred Mom from the motorhome to her car. Mom would stay with her for the weekend and then return home with us. We continued on to Smith's Fork Campground below the Smithville Lake Dam to our campsite. There were numerous sites to choose from. The first request of the girls was to make the bed for the night! Apparently the boys had been impressed by this chore we assigned them and the girls wanted to get with it right away. While I hooked up, Louise took the girls to the playground. The girls did finally get their chance to turn the couch into a bed. After trying about four different arrangements, they finally settled down and went to sleep. We had some rain during the night, but we woke to sunny skies on Saturday morning. The Toy and Miniature Museum was interesting. They had an extensive display of doll houses, which the girls explored from one end to another. They really enjoyed the room of marbles. They liked the story time and drawing their own pictures and coloring them. Much of the museum was more adult oriented and we passed through those areas quickly. By the time we got to the gift shop, the girls were more interested in finding something to eat than shopping. So it was off to KFC for lunch. We discussed an after-lunch activity at the Kansas City Zoo, but the rain showers were back, so we abandoned that idea. We returned to the motorhome, where we had an abundance of indoor activities for the girls. An evening barbecue with my sister and her family went on as planned. The rain stopped late in the afternoon, so we got to visit outdoors. A niece adopted the girls for the evening and they had plenty of playtime. Overnight, another good rain shower ended before I had to disconnect utilities. The trip home on Sunday was uneventful and the girls were happy to be home with their parents again.

For several weeks now, diesel prices in Missouri have been "abnormal." The old standby for low diesel prices, FJ has prices that are 12 to 14 cents per gallon above some other suppliers. At exit 203 on I-70, an independent supplier, Mr. Fuel (has dedicated truck/RV pumps) has had diesel prices at $2.399 for the last several weeks. Meanwhile, FJ prices have been around $2.50 and higher. I have noticed that QT stores also are advertising diesel at $2.399 across the state. I won't be going into a QT any time soon as the quick shops are just too difficult to get in and out of the pumps for a big rig. If you are traveling through the mid-west, check the local prices as compared to the FJ prices. Are locals in other areas noticing the same thing in other parts of the country? Should I be looking for fuel suppliers other than FJ? Is there a fuel price web site that gives fuel prices for dealers other than the major suppliers? Share your secrets to finding the best fuel prices. If anyone has information that explains why this unusual situation exists I would love to hear it.

I have a Garmin eTrex, not an in-dash installation but it allows me to select my preferences for routing. I program it for "bus" when I want the main highways and specify fastest route. Between those two it usually stays with the main roads. When I am adventuresome, I'll select car and shortest route and then the roads get more interesting, sometimes too much so! My co-pilot/navigator keeps a trusty Rand McNally Truckers Atlas (Flying J has several versions) on her lap and we discuss what the GPS is planning and she gives me "suggestions" as to improving the route. I've learned to listen to her "suggestions" so I don't have to look at her smug "I told you so" smile! It takes a while to learn how any GPS works best. Until you feel confident with yours, keep a good road atlas handy and use it as a means of modifying any route you don't feel confident about. The thing I like most about the GPS is that it gives me a way of finding places I wouldn't know how to locate without stopping for directions and we all know about the male aversion to doing that! I also enjoy being able to know how far it is to the next turn and the total distance to our destination. I use it even when I know the route well, just to give me an idea of how we are progressing and when we may arrive.

As we travel around the country, we have had wonderful experiences with some dealers and absolutely lousy experiences with other. Some will take an RV in for repair no matter where you bought it. Others simply will not listen to you if you didn't purchase from them. I'm not talking about warranty work, just getting something done in the shop. There are several dealers on my "go to" list when I am in the market again. Likewise, there are some dealers I wouldn't even call if I had trouble down the block from their shop. The dealer you mention is one that we had zero luck with when we need assistance with a minor problem. We ended up going to Paul Everett RV and got wonderful service. Put them on your list of good guys.

RonaldNC, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! I hate to see someone who hasn't gotten some response to their query so here goes. We have a solar panel on our roof, 2' x 4' feet (8 square feet). It puts out between 5 and 6 amps at 14V DC at its peak on a good sunny day. I don't know what that would be in watts but someone likely could make the connection. Is you panel about the same size? If so, you could start from here. There will be variations in the efficiency of solar panels over time but ours is vintage 2003 so they should be similar in output for a similar size. If they aren't the same size, work out the proportional relationship and apply it to the output. I'll keep looking for the equation that would allow me to answer your question. Meanwhile perhaps someone could take my information and apply it to your query. Do tell us what size your solar panel is...

I just referred another member to your query in the mistaken belief that I had read a discussion here about solutions to your problem. It turns out I was wrong. I had found a discussion on another web site so I'll post that information here for your as well. While this information doesn't mention the DIY solution, here are some other choices. I have found one reference for Suncoast Glass in Hudson, Florida in a post on another web site. Another mentions Lazy Days also in Florida as a location for a fix. I also found mention of someone who attempted a fix on their own and broke the glass. A fourth post mentions having a new window rebuilt by Binswanger Glass - Marietta, Georgia. The owner removed the glass and took it to this company which then made a new glass. Their cost was about $120. www.binswangerglass.com (check for your location) Binswanger has more than 150 locations in 22 states. This seems to be a fairly common problem with motor home owners who have the thermal pane windows. Of course this same problem sometimes occurs with thermal pane windows in bricks and sticks homes. If you check out these sources and find a solution. Please post here your solution and how it worked and what it cost you as a service to others.

I have found one reference for Suncoast Glass in Hudson, Florida in a post on another web site. Another mentions Lazy Days also in Florida as a location for a fix. I also found mention of someone who attempted a fix on their own and broke the glass. A fourth post mentions having a new window rebuilt by Binswanger Glass - Marietta, Georgia. The owner removed the glass and took it to this company which then made a new glass. Their cost was about $120. www.binswangerglass.com (check for your location) Binswanger has more than 150 locations in 22 states. This seems to be a fairly common problem with motor home owners who have the thermal pane windows. Of course this same problem sometimes occurs with thermal pane windows in bricks and sticks homes. If you check out these sources and find a solution. Please post here your solution and how it worked and what it cost you as a service to others.

Welcome to the FMCA Forum, drmflorida. A number of other people have discussed this same topic in a thread titled "Fogged Double Pane Windows" in this same topic. If you will look a little further down the General Discussion, you will find this thread. I believe you will find several possible repair places as well as some information about replacing windows. By the way, it helps all of us if you give us some information about your coach. What make? What model? What year? See what some of us have done with our signature as a way of always including this information. If you have additional posts and we all hope you do, it is easiest to go to My Control and put that information in your signature. Having said all the above, I stand corrected. The posting I mentioned has had no replies though I was sure that at one time it did include mention of several locations where window repair could be obtained. I'll continue looking for where I have seen that discussion, it doesn't seem to be here now. Later...

Welcome rvtravelers, I'm hope someone will be able to answer your question. In the meantime, I hope you took the time to read the two posts and following discussions on extended warranties in this same section. You get a variety of opinions about extended warranties in those discussions. I find no mention of gorving among those discussions. I wasn't aware that gorving (an umbrella organization for RV manufacturers) was offering extended warranties. You might check who underwrites their policy, it may be one of the companies mentioned in the discussions.