hayesfamily
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Posts posted by hayesfamily
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On 1/3/2017 at 0:49 PM, 95monaco said:has any one ever set up a Porsche Boxster to be flat towed. I have heard that a manual transmission can be done but can't confirm that.
thanks
Good afternoon or evening or something Wherever You Are
The short answer to your question is no it cannot be flat towed. As for the reason, it has to do with something that the Europeans do with their manual transmissions and the issue , which Super escapes me at this moment because it 3:30 in the morning here, is an issue that Saab, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and some Volvos share in common.
Most of these cars can be towed on a dolly, I know my Saab can but you need to talk to Porsche and get explicit instructions on even Dolly Towing because if I remember correctly depending on the year you are rear wheel drive
Nevertheless the cost for you to flat tow your car is going to greatly exceed buying a cheap 5 speed Toyota or Chevy and dinghy tow that.
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No that was me that loaded up the wire. Will get in touch with him
73 OM
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WAYNE --- I like you. The XYL said we could never be in a camp ground side by side cause she thinks we would get in trouble.
I said we would be good then she reminded me about the time I loaded up the Telephone wire that was coming into the house. We werent using it anymore and I thought it would make a good LONG wire. Well, needless to say every phone in the neighborhood rung at 130 in the morning but 160 was WIDE OPEN into Nicaragua.
My excuse, I was only using 50 watts! Imagine how many would have rung is I put all 1500 in? I got the LOOK
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1 hour ago, muirdr said:I am a Ham radio operator and used a through the glass antenna on 2 and 70 meters. I have talked over 15 miles simplex to other ham radio operators going down the highway. It worked great. Used to travel with another ham radio operator going to different rally's.
A good friend of mine N3EKO is going to let me use one to see if I like it. To be very honest with you the performance of the antenna is not necessarily my concern, the bigger concern that I have is the flexibility that I lose with a through the glass mount. If I'm able to mount somewhere else and let's a have a UHF mount in place I would be able to swap out antennas 4 various situations.
A great example would be a group of us going down the road somewhere let's say for instance. I would only need a quarter wave and I would not necessarily have to worry about overhead object taking out my antenna. Now let's say our destination is to a natural disaster area where a tornado came through. Now we are in a situation where repeaters may be down and my coach is going to have to serve as a crossband repeating station for the guys that are on the ground. So with a UHF amount and a 7/8 wave antenna not only am I able to produce 100 watts of power safely but I can also hear week station traffic. I'm sure I could deploy a couple of military poles and put some type of bass antenna up temporarily however situations change where you have to move location and it's much easier to move location or take down a mobile antenna then it would be to do something with a large base antenna setup. At a campground where I'm somewhat fixed for a period of time I would stick a Jay pull up in a heartbeat and if I'm in a situation where I got some woods behind me you can bet your bottom dollar I got a wire in it somewhere.
So while I have the time before our camping season starts I'm trying to explore as many options as I possibly can with the goal of finding that one set up that's right in the middle of a perfect world and a less than perfect world. 4 HF I found that compromise but for VHF it's just proving a little bit more difficult than I would have imagined.
73 de KE3HAY
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On 11/11/2016 at 1:26 PM, patriot44 said:After reading this whole thread, there's some good stuff. But, I agree with you John. We joined Family Motorcoach Association a year and a half ago when we got our coach, and would love to be able to network with some families of similar age, that enjoy the RVing, living on the road lifestyle. My wife and I are in our early 30s, with two young sons, and it seems most people we meet through FMCA or on the road for that matter are much older. Like you, I understand the demographic of most coach owners, and very much respect their knowledge. As our sons grow up though, it would be nice to connect with families of similar interest. And I feel like the Association was formed with families in mind.
Lance
Lance I am Keon from Baltimore and welcome to this form post.
We are not far from you and there are other folks in our age range that live in the east coast/North/MID Atlantic side of the world that travel with children. The best way I have found folks to hang with and get ideas was in the travel section and i think the Lets Meet Up section is whats its called.
I am making a habit to include our travel plans in that section hoping that people would be in areas where we could get together even if its just for dinner and a family movie at the local theater near by.
Unlike most families with children we are super flexible because our children are college age (Daughter in LA going to school and A son who really isnt the Son just got dropped off and never left) and our baby is home schooled (8 year old boy). So we have the advantage of vacation anytime with lots of flexibility. So say if you were going to the Shenandoah Mountains the second we in July and we were going the 3rd, My plans are usually very flexible provided we know enough in advance that the DW can move vacation. We would be ok with an impromptu rally somewhere with families.
There are others here that are in our same boat and I am super open to talks of another chapter geared for our age group as parents with school age children and family dynamic with grandparent privileges to include EVERYBODY.
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Hey Wayne ... will look into that. Let me see if the XYL (DW in coach talk) will give me my drill back. She saw an NMO bit headed for the car and hid the drill. I tried to sneak a friends into the house and she called his XYL and she took his. AAAAHHHHHH
Maybe dinner and a promise not to put holes in the car will get it back.
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UPDATE
Finally got an HF station functional on 75-40-and 20 Meters. Difficult but I made it work.
I am particular about what I need on each of these bands and the hustler series antennas gave me the bandwidth that was reasonable without using my screwdriver. This way I don't have to run a power lead to move the antenna and try to run a switch (basically a headache).
By mounting the antenna on the ladder and running an 18 gauge wire from the mount to the chassis I was able to achieve about 40kHz under 3:1 on 75m, 40M gives me the entire phone band under 3:1 and 20 I have the ENTIRE BAND under 2:1 and the phone band at 1.3:1 at 14.260 - 1.7:1 at the band edges.
As for 2M this is a challenge. I am not really satisfied with the Through the Glass mounting. I am going to try to a 1/2 wave antenna no ground plane needed deal and see what happens. I think I will be able to mount it on the mirror and prayerfully it won't be too heavy. WE shall see if it works.
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8 hours ago, TBUTLER said:Yes, think about what would happen if you had jacks under your slide and the jacks on your coach lost just a little pressure. If your coach shifts and the jacks under the slide don't move with it, you would be lifting the slide with those supplemental jacks. I would never consider using slide jacks.
You make a valid point, thus the reason I never let the guy in Camping World talk me into getting them.
On 12/31/2016 at 2:39 PM, WILDEBILL308 said:I would never use slide jacks unless they were supplied by the manufacture. To much chance of damaging the slide and components.
Happy New Year
Bill
To me it looked like deploying them would bend "The TRACK" the slide is on if used to support weight but I read somewhere (And If i find out where Ill post it) that they are used to stop motion when walking not to "Support" the slide. I am too new at this to mess up anything so I wouldn't try it but I do Level the coach as best I can before deploying the slide. I never have to "relevel" as the slide does tilt or do anything funny even with its size.
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22 hours ago, jleamont said:1. Keon, here's one for you in your back yard. Try and locate a campground with full hookups 50amp across the Chesapeake from Annapolis MD (Rock Hall, Kent Island area) I have a call into Bayshore and Duck Neck. In that entire area that is it!!
2. DW is from Maryland, last year she didn't get and trips where we got Blue Crabs, I'm still hearing about it in December. There are many great seafood restaurants in that area, I figured a couple of days down there would save me the earful next winter
Number 1, Your right --- you cant. Its crazy and thats why Castaway books so fast because they are like IT ...its also the reason it costs so much to stay the KOA because they know they are the closest to 50 and the bay bridge.
Number 2. If she wants Blue Crab ill keep you posted on something for June 3th that I am throwing at the KOA. Mr. Blue Crab will be making an appearance but I have not worked out all the details yet. When I do you will get an invite. Maybe yall can come down and meet us for the weekend.
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On 12/31/2016 at 6:15 PM, BillAdams said:The membership of FMCA is so tiny compared to an organization like AAA or any other auto related organization that anything this club put together would be laughable by comparison. If you want to see some action taken on the roads then get the truckers and the everyday public involved. They outnumber us 1,000,000 to 1.
This is 100% correct. You would need HUGE numbers to get something like that initiated and though we are powerful for our craft, in the grand scheme of life we are TINY ... though our incite would be valuable I wonder how much our insurance company info would help especially with all the claims that are put in for damaged parts from roads. I'm sure if they started going after these cities and towns that would be more of an impact and we would see and end to lip service from politicians. Right now a lot of them just chalk things up under your comprehensive but they really should go after the government for those road hazards.
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Not sure if this post is still going or read but I have a 17 year old coach and she is well kept, not an eye sore, all the light and awning look presentable and I don't think I could go into a Campground and she not be accepted. Therefore age is a FINE LINE that I wouldn't touch - however, I would use the same system you would have for having a custom car or any vehicle parked in the area.
If it has noticeable body damage - missing bumper or broken glass then it needs to be FIXED or moved.
If the vehicle has under inflated or flat tires -
If the vehicle Registration has lapsed this is a problem.Baltimore City has an ordinance that says I can not have my coach parked in the front yard. In fact it must be 10 feet behind the front of the house. Do we pay it attention, no cause before we leave we park in the drive way so we can get things in and out --- saying that to say be very careful that your HOA doesn't pick on folks just because they can. Lawyers are itching to sue and you could be barking up the wrong tree and tick of the wrong person.
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Might be a little late on this one but sound to me like the Mid west is rough road country. Physically the road isn't "Rough" but trying to squeeze through the construction stuff on 95 and parts of 81 here in the PA MD and VA will make you squeeze your buns and open ya wallet too. Then there is VA around Richmond to Petersburg VA - most of the time I'd rather walk than drive my car through that stretch of road so imagine the beating your coach would take.
AND NONE OF THIS IS PARK -- we're talking Interstate Travel.
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I am going to make every effort to make the Urbanna Oyster Festival in Urbanna VA. Its November 3 and 4th 2017. Below are the campgrounds closest to the town. IF anyone is going, please let me know. Maybe we can get together and have a FMCA meet and greet or something.
I have not made reservations yet but I hear we should make them by January cause we might not get a spot. They are about $90 a night that weekend
Bethpage Camp-Resort804-758-4349Urbanna, VA.Bush Park Campground804-776-6750Deltaville, VA.Grey’s Point Camp804-758-2485Topping, VA.Thousand Trails Campground804-693-6924Gloucester, VA. -
On 12/22/2016 at 6:22 AM, jleamont said:Walt Disney World, staying at Fort Wilderness.
Sanibel Island, I looked at Red Coconut campground in Ft Myers Fl. Any recommendations in that area for a different campground?
St Augustine, Considering Beverly Beach campground. Any recommendations in that area for a different campground?
Cape Canaveral. We will day trip out of Fort Wilderness for this. Any recommendations for other must see adventures in that area?
While searching I was horrified at the condition of most Florida campgrounds, most don't have websites. I expected the cream of the crop since its a winter destination and what I saw was the opposite
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Um this may or may not help but I'll share anyway.
I was in Florida this past September and I decided to take a look at a few campgrounds in Kissimmee/Orlando area. What I saw scared me a bit.
In that area, Tropical Palms was the first place I visited (Just Drove right in) and at first it looked like a normal (what I thought would be normal) campground but the further I looked it reminded me of the trailer parks in NC where I grew up. I have NO ISSUE with older coaches but some of these rascals should have been put out the pasture some time ago. They appeared to be long time visitors there and even the newer coaches had grass growing around the wheels. Just not as nice as I thought it would have looked in Florida. Good Sam rated it as a 9 9 9 in the book but in my honest opinion it was a 6 7 7.
Looked at another further up 192 and it was worse. The KOAs are AWESOME but you gonna pay for them of course. If I wasn't staying in Fort Wilderness (I'll be there October of 2017) I would only feel comfy at the KOA unless money was tight and then I might just boondock at Wally World for a night or two. -
Hey Chris
If you are already on a level surface, and you do not have your jacks down, the slide if it is big enough will tilt your coach slightly to one side where it wont be level anymore.. The jacks provide a great deal of stability because your shocks and springs are not meant to handle that type load (of course I am assuming its a gas coach). I have no clue about a diesel but I would safely assume when the air is let out of those bags you would want stability for those heavy slides as well.
My Bounder slide has the couch, and the dinette on the slide and the slide is almost 10 feet long. Add several butts to the seats and she will move.
The also make slide jacks but never saw anyone using them ... they are strictly for stability and it takes the weight of the slide mechanism from what I read.
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10 hours ago, wolfe10 said:Keon,
Incorrect. the 1999 V10 IS the one of the years with spark plug issues. Plenty of posts about best way to remove the old ones and best way to gently torque up the new ones. It is too few threads in the head that is the issue. Were it just the spark plugs, that would be great, but not the issue.
There ARE inserts that can be installed if the threads (aluminum) are compromised. Again, lots of info on the internet about this.
Good Point, I remember now remember my neighbor had this issue. I neglected to mention i dont have the original cylinder head on this V-10- it was replaced on my coach so i assume there was an issue and it was corrected.
As soon as I pulled the plug I looked for 2 things, Helicoils or any type of lock and stitch type stuff which Ford used when the Mustangs were popping plugs. I didnt see and any type of stripping of the thread in the aluminum head. Didnt see either ... So I called my buddy at the local Ford dealership and asked what a new one looked like and after he described the longer thread pattern I checked that with a bore scope. Confirmed that the head was replaced.
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I just pulled my plugs and I have the longer threaded plugs. Scared me for a moment.
The Look ... YEAH be afraid of the LOOK!
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OK I have a V 10 Triton ... what kind of Coach do you have and why are plugs ejecting from the motor?
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On 12/25/2016 at 7:11 PM, msgtnobody said:I am starting to consider buying an RV lot in Florida, to stay in the winter months.
Has anybody had experience in what type of financing/mortgage is available for this type of purchase??
My DW looked at a place in FL similar to what you were looking to buy.
The price was the cost of new SUV, then was the Maint fee of 800 a year, then there was the taxes of 390 a year, and the "we will in house finance you" at 12.5% over 10 years. $51K for the 1st 10 years to visit (provided the fees dont increase which they will cause we are in the good ole USA) and play golf maybe 2 x's a year for a week at a time is way to expensive. TBUTLER is right, might be a bad investment and you definitely don't want to get stuck in something.
Real figures with my situation - If we staying 6 months out of the year its 2595+electric plus the cost of a golf cart ($3900 New) cause you cant drive to the amenities in the park. You car is on your "pad" with the coach but you can only drive it to enter the park and to exit, not to the pool. AND I GOTTA PAY TO PLAY THE GOLF COARSE!!!!! ($67+cart rental for members)
This may not be bad considering that about the average for rentals anyway so why own and be obligated to write the check when you can rent and stay where ever you want when you want. -
I am glad I asked this question because all of the feedback has been helpful.
The Keyless is simply a dream I will have in the next coach because the cost exceeds the value of the situation ($700+). If I would get more money when I sell the coach than OK, its not going to raise the value at all.
i can get keys made which is good as the blanks are still available. I will try that route but as it stands this is one of those things you deal with when you buy a gentle used (or rough and ready) coach.
The Key code is stamped on the key itself but I can not find the codes in the documentation - and I have a TON of it to still look through. I am going to call Fleetwood and ask in the AM.
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As with most coaches the entry door handle has two locks, the top one being the deadbolt I guess and then the bottom being the regular lock.
My coach never came with a key for the deadbolt so I'm considering calling a locksmith to make me a key or potentially changing the entire handle with some type of fancy push button combination lock like the one found in Ford Cars .... if they exists for coaches. That would keep me from requiring a key to get in and reduces the likelihood of me being locked out.
So my question is, are handle and lock setups in most coaches standard?
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On 12/2/2016 at 8:28 AM, jleamont said:Keon, did you get to Disney in October?
October 2017
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Hey Bill
This year the foliage started late and then just disappeared. I just like looking at the mountains personally but the DW feels trees are more important.
I forgot your from Alexandria, i think you told me that once before. Living in Alexandria you didn't have to deal with the Baltimore side of the 95 world too much but people here (how do I say this nicely) simply don't drive so we will have jams because a plane took off and idiots wanted to look. Yes I am trying to avoid DC as much as possible. ME and the stretch of 95 from DC to Richmond NEVER get along. The stretch of 295 though DC they were working on when you were in this neck of the wood and THEY STILL ARE do nothing but they working!! We are leaving Baltimore at noonish because the DW works overnight that Tuesday so DC wont be the issue per sae, but Richmond will. Some people say 295 around Richmond works but its just never worked in my favor. Now if you get me to Petersburg with out me having a coronary then I am Good.
I want to got to Port Canaveral but I may be confused, I was told there was a Kennedy Space Museum or something near Titusville Is that not the case? Now i could be wrong, but I thought the Port and the Cape Canaveral were like 5 miles away? There is a awesome Golf resort that I have always wanted to see, and play so that's the reason behind Titusville - not to mention I have 3 other people to keep happy and thats where they picked. Golf was a plus 1 for me!16 hours ago, BillAdams said:Be aware that there is no foliage left to see so if you are taking that route for that reason you will be disappointed. If you just want to drive an extra 110 miles to avoid the DC beltway that's OK, too.
To answer the extra 110 miles thing, my father in law (Should say OutLAW) asked me the same question because he felt that I was "Burning to much Gas" and it took me a few minutes to come up with an answer but i finally said in the nicest way I possibly could, "I just bought a house on wheels, and I am on Vacation. So in other words I just bought an opportunity to stop and explore everything I possibly can along the way so my 8 year old can see that there is a world outside of God Forsaken Baltimore City." So that would be the other reason, I have 3 days to kill to get to Disney and after having someone roll my Suburban and I walked away pretty much unhurt - I have learned to slow way down and take the high road in life.
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6 hours ago, Jrock said:We have been south from Mass a few times we go down inland to avoid cross Bronx,Gw and Baltimore harbor tunnel. As far as gas we fill up on highway might be a little more but no hassle. Have a great trip.
I live just west of the Harbor Tunnel. I am right at the end of I 70 so avoiding the tunnel is easy because I get on 95 south of the tunnel. My issues is ALWAYS DC and Richmond. That's one reason why I am taking I 81 down not 95. Not for the Richmond or DC headache.
Suggestion, if you ever have to come through Baltimore, take 695 toward Towson to avoid the toll on the bridge. Its a wee bit longer but it avoids the issues of bridge warnings and stuff. They are quick to through a bridge warning for anything under and 68K lbs.
Weigh Station In Maryland
in Laws and Legislative Action
Posted · Report reply
Being from Maryland I can honestly tell you that the only people that have to stop at our scales are commercial trucks weighing over 5 tons. If the side of your coach has a commercial sign on it such as a business or anything of that nature you must pull over and get your vehicle weighed.
That said there is a caveat to all of this, in the event that the DOT feels that you're operating in an unsafe manner they can ask you to pull onto the scale. Here's the thing, you have to be driving like an absolute idiot, the front end of your coach has to be popping up in the air because the trailer behind you have so much tongue weight, or if they think that you're running dope and want a reason to ask in a board your coach.