brandta

I have a 2004 Rexhall American Clipper. The other day I discovered I had no coach DC power when disconnected from shore power. I have an aftermarket Zantrex converter installed connected to a bank of flooded cell batteries. The batteries are fully charged (13.04 v.) Everything works fine as long as we have shore power or are running the generator. My first guess is that the power transfer switch has failed or at least a relay has become stuck. Does anyone know where the switch is? I'm thinking it is probably behind the distribution panel (below the fridge.) Before I start removing everything I thought I'd try to verify the location. No information regarding the switch (or location) was provided by Rexhall at time of purchase. Thanks in advance, Alan Brandt

Have a friend in Fallon, NV (near Reno) who is looking for recommendations on a repair/maintenance facility in the area. Coach is a 2014 Coachman Class A (Ford F53, gas.) Current repair issue seems to be related to lights/gauges on the dash. Any suggestions appreciated. Alan Brandt

Rexhall, 2004 American Clipper, Ford 53 Chassis I am no longer able to get gas from the fuel tank to the generator (yes the tank is full.) I am thinking that the rubber fuel line from the tank to the generator has somehow failed. The generator works fine from an external gas can. The shop is indicating that they cannot find a way to access the tank fuel outlets without cutting access holes in outside storage. I have looked for an access panel under the bed, but unless it is actually under the uncut carpet and/or the water tank I can't find one. Anybody else had to deal with this issue? Thanks, Alan Brandt

In Reply...Key was in the ignition in "acc" position as per the owners manual...only way to unlock the steering that I know of.

We have a new Jeep Wrangler and are flat towing it. Despite the salesman's assurances, we discovered (the hard way) that two days of towing will deplete the car's battery (Jeep manual says to disconnect the battery ground.) Now here are my issues: 1. We are using an auxillary brake (Blue Ox Patriot) that requires battery power. If I disconnect the Jeep battery I will need to do an end run around the disconnect for the brake power. 2. Does disconnecting the battery impact the circuits for running the lights? My ground from the coach is connected to the battery ground on the Jeep. 3. I can add a charge circuit from the coach to the Jeep although most kits don't include the wire/connector for the charge line and if it were to fail I wouldn't know I wasn't charging the battery. 4. Anything I haven't thought of yet? Any experiences/ideas would be greatly appreciated. Alan Brandt

I am thinking about replacing our Jeep Wrangler and would like to consider a 4x4 pickup (eg; Toyota Tundra.) I don't see them listed in the FMCA towing guides and before I get some salesman all excited would like to know if flat towing is possible (manual xmission, 4x4.) Any experience/suggestions out there? Thank you, Alan Brandt

I will add my concurrence with keeping the fridge on propane during travel. As noted by others, we ran into two ferries on our trip south this year that did require the propane to be shut off at the tank but there was plenty of warning and a worker to watch/check the valve before we boarded. I've seen some signs (not RVing ) some bridges/tunnels but didn't pay much attention. Many of the good road atlases may also have information about any limitations. I've never seen any info that restricts on road propane in the US or Canada, just specific sections of roads/bridges/ferries. Alan

I am trying to find a source for the coach electrical schematics (Rexhall American Clipper, 2004, Ford F53) which particular attention to all the add-on stuff under the dash. I have the Ford schematics, but they don't help with the added isolators, etc. The issue I'm trying to fix is that I don't seem to have the "charge" control signal to the battery isolator which is causing the engine battery to discharge when we are on shore power (safety sensors seem to be connected to the engine battery) and the house battery bank isn't being charged by the engine when driving. The issue would seem to be the purple wire connected to the isolator, but I haven't been able to find the other end...heck, might not even be the same color. Any pointers to schematics would be wonderful, but would happily accept any suggestions on were to look for my missing voltage. Thank you, Alan Brandt

I need to replace my existing converter/charger as it seems to be putting out only 12.4V which won't do much (if any) battery charging. I am considering the Xantrex Truecharge but it is unclear (to me) if that unit is a direct replacement for a converter/charger or is just a charger that would then require a separate converter for 12V power when on shore power. I don't want to fry a $500 unit nor have to buy a second piece if I don't need to. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Alan Brandt

Thank you for all the suggestions. I suspected that the arm was on a tapered, splined shaft but just wanted to get some confirmation before proceeding. I'm hoping that there is a nut of some sort behind the arm that holds the shaft mechanism in place as there doesn't seem to be anything on the engine side of the system. I'll give it another try when the temp warm up a bit this afternoon. Thanks Alan

I have a 2004 Rexhall RV with a pantograph style wiper system. On one side the wiper mechanism has become loose allowing the blade to move past the split windshield. The drive shaft seems to be held in place by a rectangular piece of metal in a U shaped track. I can't see where you might be able to tighten up the shaft. I was concerned about removing the arm from the shaft as when I removed the nut the arm seemed still firmly attached and I didn't want to break something if I was really missing the trick. Any experience out there? Any suggestions/help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Alan Brandt (F358526)

Thanks to all. I guess I'm not smart enough yet to have a "smart" phone which certainly seems to be the weather device of choice. I can certainly appreciate the need of knowing where you are to make full use of the NWS broadcast information. I'm planning on having the lists of the NWS stations for the states we will be traveling in which give the cities and counties covered by the various stations along with the SAME code. Along with the GPS, Internet, and old style hard copy paper maps we should be able to figure out where we are even if we aren't sure its where we want to be...Perhaps if we plan on bad weather we won't have any...like taking the umbrella so it won't rain. Thanks again to all. Alan

We are planning a trip next winter/spring across the south and back through the midwest. As a "left coaster" severe weather is really not an issue. I am looking for recommendations for a weather alert radio (with SAME) to carry along on our travels. I do have the generic alert in my CB, but think the newer technology is probably a bit better. Would like to find a unit that can be directly wired (through and adapter if necessary) to the 12v of the coach as we will be dry camping much of the time and I don't want to worry about batteries except as temp backup. Any suggestions good or bad will be appreciated. Alan Brandt

I have been reviewing some possible options for house battery charging. We have a bank of 6 6V flooded cell batteries in a 2004 Rexhall (Ford F53 chassis). Most of our outings are 1-2 week dry camping then off to the next site. Don't spend a lot of time in shore power situations and our converter/charger is one of the really "dumb" units. The Xantrex unit looks like it would take better care of the battery bank, but it is currently unclear to me from the documentation I have if it is a workable addition to the Ford alternator. Specifically is the Ford a P-type alternator and is the charging current really limited to 6 amp or is that a control circuit limit? Any experience would be greatly appreciated. Alan Brandt, Jefferson, OR.

Hi. I was raised in Napa, Ca. and am now retired in Oregon. The Brandt side of the family is fourth generation Californian starting in the central valley (near Sacramento) and ending up in Berkeley. Alan