hayesfamily

I’m curious what year did you have? The only issue I’m having with the car is the tires that came with. It was suggested in one of my farm groups to go to like a Cooper PS3 or something like that or whatever the newest generation is. I’m sort of torn on what I want to do, I got Michelin‘s on my jeep and they ride hard but I definitely don’t wanna put goodyears on it

Howdy folks So I finally got an opportunity to get some camping and away from home. In a prior thread I talked about flat towing a 2019 Kia soul base, manual transmission. I just wanna give a quick update to a couple of questions I had, I finally got some answers and how to make some things work. Steering wheel lock - That was solved easy!!! Turn the car off, leave the Key in the ignition. As long as you don't pull it out, it wont lock the steering wheel. THAT WAS EASY I have electric steering and it didnt wabble or anything, i was affraid i was going to have to leave power to the steering on but that God i didnt have to. Had some extensive conversation with my buddy Joe, and the first thing I realized is I’m gonna have to lower my receiver on the back of the motorhome because the jeep that I’m used to towing sat 6 inches higher than my current car. From what they say, you can have 3 inches up or down on the tow bar in order to be in the safe zone and I was well out of that. So I had to buy a drop hitch which I see a lot of guys are using. I learned that you have to be careful with inclines when you have that but other than that it went relatively smooth. I installed a Demco base plate and that turned out to be more hair raising than anything I’ve ever had to deal with before. The first base plate I got one of the years was off maybe about 5° so none of the holes lined up on one side. The second one I got the bottom holes were drilled a wee bit off-center so I had to drill those out in order to mount this base plate. I bought this car specifically the way I bought it to make sure he did not have any front end damage and to say Demco drop the ball is an understatement however once I got everything bolted up, the bumper cover put back on, the drop receiver Installed, I didn’t even worry about wiring up thAnde light diode’s right away, I’ll get to that sometime next week. I stuck my wireless Mickey Mouse ears on the back and I’ve got to say - remove 2000 pounds worth of weight off the back of your coach makes a difference with the amount of money that goes out of your pocket into the oil production cost of the the United Arab Emirates. This little mama toad so nice I forgot she was back there. Overall, I can honestly say I definitely prefer towing this over the jeep liberty and it’s much nicer to the gas tank then towing my jeep Cherokee. I’m glad I made this choice over the mini Cooper and the Fiat I started to get.

Not sure if this is the right section but here it goes ... I lost my Manual Awning in 19 during a freakish storm. I need to replace it but i am having problems getting the dometic people on the phone. Any suggestions on where I can order the parts. I don't need the a shop cause I'm putting it on myself just the parts.

Yes it has been a while. You guys have been really awesome and I can be transparent, The wife and I split and I’m now a single divorced man living in a 35‘ x 8 1/2‘ box! I’ve been full-time in since the separation but getting on things like the forums and even getting mail with both of our names on it and stuff like that really put me in a bad psychological space. Now that I’m past those emotions and I realize that I can still enjoy my camping life without a permanent life partner Makes it easier for me to do things so I’m back.

I doesnt have any information at all. Not Sure Why but it doesnt ... Herman ... I did what you suggested and your correct, No lock while key in ignition, locks only when Key is removed. Will be tearing bumper off this weekend for base plate install and light set up.

When I change my oil on Friday I will do that. Never crossed my mind to do that. i’m just hoping that I don’t have to leave my key in the on position and disconnect batteries and do all of that craziness. I never had to do that with my jeeps and I did not think I had to do that with this manual transmission car either. It’s almost as if the steering wheel does not lock until I actually pull that key out and it sounds like a locking, almost relay sound. I’ll let you know and post my results

So, I decided to buy a newer car and I bought a 19 Kia Soul. I have a question for anyone who tows one As long as I dont remove the key from the ignition, the steering wheel doesnt "seem" to lock - Is that the typical experience with Hyundai/Kia vehicles? The Jeep i have to leave the key in the unlock 1st position - i just want to make sure I dont end up dragging the hamster box - Id much prefer it to roll.

Fulltiming in MD / I’m still around.

Hey BILLLLLLLLLL! What’s happening?

Yeah that’s a rumor for sure. They are doing well financially...

Never been towed. The one time I had a problem, I pulled over and fixed it. Hopped back on the road.

Ya know whats next to go ... GPS. Biggest waste of MONEY i ever did

Im here ... when i took a sabbatical there was action on the forum ... awesome laughs and "interesting" conversation. I saw we strike up a scandal and blame it on JLeamont! HOWDY BILL hows it going

Here is what i figure 1. We are young enough to climb under a coach 2. I think we keep enough tools on board to drop a tranny if needed 3. Most things that we would run into we could fix on the side of the road or at a campground - provided we got the toad with us and can get to a parts store 4. IF there was a problem that a tow truck is needed - The $300 it would cost to tow us to the nearest truck stop (That we will call and they be to us in 45 min) is well worth it not to be on the side of the road for 5 hours. If you have one tow every 5 years and you have GS, that's Hundreds of dollars wasted that went in to GS CEO's pocket. Id rather spend my money camping ...

My situation is a little bit different, it is included in my premium and I cannot opt out at all. In that case it was just better for me all the way around to just drop good Sam. The interesting thing is I dropped it long before I knew it my insurance company will cover it so, to that effect I felt that good Sam was that much of a rip off.

So ... camping world tried to tell me they could do it faster and I flat out told them ”I can install with the best of them and this installation done CORRECTLY is a 7 to 8 hour job for one person. 2 people could do it in 3 but there is no way y’all measure faster than someone who can measure” got the dumb look. Pound for pound I like this permanent mounted break as it’s as close to “proportional” as I could get less than a Grand

Your right but what I am not doing is paying for it 2xs.

DUDE Your bus is awesome. Hope we get to be in the same campground one day. I love looking at bus conversions.

Shuuuu dont tell anyone! Especially that JLeamont GUY LOL!

it will buff out

Perfect example of this is Luray KOA in Virginia. The campground website tells you exactly how to come in cause the back road is tighter than spandex on a three hundred pound man.

thank you

So, I did it. I ditched my Roadside Assistance and couldn't be happier - THAT DOESNT MEAN THIS IS FOR EVERYONE but for us it works and may for someone else. So after reading ALLLLL of the horror stories about the various companies out there I decided to do some research and figure out how to keep cash in my pockets vs giving to someone who may or may not be there for my and my family. Here is what I came up with: Good Sam was going to cost me $150 a year and If I need a tow once every 5 years that is about $750 for a tow that would general cost be maybe half that for the few miles they will tow me. As long as I have my towed, unless its Transmission or lower block issues I carry enough tools to go as far as ripping a cylinder head off if needed. Tie issues - well if I blow one I got to pay for the tire anyway so there service charge for them coming out to do it isnt worth the 150 bucks a year to Good Sam Here is the real kicker - THe Hartford who graciously insures us even after i sued them, HAD BETTER coverage for Motorhome/RV than Good sam with dedicated departments for us FOR FREE!!! Your heard me its included in the premium. I get Cash for interrupted trip, cash for lodging, rental car, Towing to the nearest qualified repair facility (No matter how far) AND ITS INCLUDED in my premium, So check your insurance companies offerings cause I was paying for something i got for free ANYWAY!

Afternoon to ya .. I have a friend that had a similar issue with is CaT motor from that year on a freightliner Chassis He did find a solution and if I can get Fred on the phone tonight Ill relay what his solution was. Not sure if it will help but at this point information is information.

I turned to the FMCA family in 2016 when i was looking for my Coach because they SPECIALIZED in Coaches and Motor Coaches only! Like Joe who clearly stated they joined to meet people of common interest, I purpose of ME being here was to find people who were interested in the SAME THING i was interested in, a MOTORCOACH where I can pull up to a traffic light, pretend i have an issue, turn my 4 way flashers on, get up, winkie in the head, get back in my drivers seat and pull off as if NOTHING at all Happened! If I wanted to talk about pulling into a rest area, getting out of my Truck, opening the door, turning on the water, WINKIE (unless I already did cause it took too long to find somewhere to stop) and do the reverse to get back in the truck and leave ... I would have joined IVR or one of them other sites for all Rv'ers. I said this in this manor to show you and everyone else that NO, a trailer is not ABSOLUTELY NOT like my coach so the focus no matter how you want to water it down IS NOT on Motorcoaches anymore nor can you say that the magazine will not be "less focused" because i doubt if you will add pages to accommodate as that cost more money! So to recapitulate the original purpose of the post, you want to include a feature that includes new members talking about their life - No OFFENSE, we live the RV life WE, (The Hayes Clan) are not really interested in someone elses because truthfully, the forum covers that already. I would rather have information about the latest innovation in toilets cause I have to buy one next week and that is more beneficial that talking about my life as the friendly neighborhood undertaker that likes to camp in the woods and tell campfire stories ... NOW I SOUND LIKE A CREEP! I want to meet families like I met Joe and his family, over some conversation here, at a campground, and awesome convo over the campfire as we sang rounds of KumBaya! As Joe eloquently stated, I am here to help the new guy. I now have a WHOLE YEAR under my belt and who better to help a newbie than someone who has made his fair share of newbie mistakes, remembers them like yesterday cause thats when most of them happened, and can help someone get through their mistakes, trials and issues. I have one thing to say to this, WELCOME TO THE USA where the little guy is told to speak but never heard or listened too. I thought we declared Independence from England in 1776???? Yet we act more and more like them each and every day! Ken, read my post, THERE IS a difference! Its kinda like the difference between PSK31 and RTTY - both use a sound card but thats where the similarities stop. Their process of operation is TOTALLY different ... yes both are digital modes but they take too different paths to achieve the goal and what we are arguing here is the PATH and Process not the end result. de KE3HAY Who gives them the authority ... I dont know, but I can tell you how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop! 364 according to a group of engineering students from Purdue University. Figured to was easier to answer that question then the one you asked!