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jimnorm

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Everything posted by jimnorm

  1. My only real comment on growth vs allowing towables is this. Local Chapters need to be where we grow. We've been members for ten years. Last year we finally got the time to attend an Annual. We have yet to make any chapter rally. We did join one but our schedules never seemed to align, often they were scheduled for the week, not the weekend. If we are looking for more and particularly younger members we need to pay attention to this. KIDS go to school during hte week, Adults generally WORK during the week. Summers are the prime time for RV use. A rally in early spring with kids in school likely means that school sports conflict. Same for fall. Expecting parents and kids to travel outside of a few non-summer weeks is a false hope. Growth will not be found inthe 60-80 age group. I hate to say this, but we older people are a dead end. I'm 64 so I figure I can probably RV for maybe 15 more years, I might be a lucky one and have 20 years. I know I don't have 30 or 40. We need to find a way to attract people that are south of 50, better yet, south of 40. Then you have prospects of 40+ year members. It may sound a bit harsh, but life is at times harsh. The reality is we need people to replace the ones that have left us. and the younger we get them, the longer we have them.
  2. Isaaac1, Your comment about activities is I believe right on target. I listed a few things I like, but I'd add in a heck of a lot more. To attract young and younger thinking members we need to have younger activities. Rafting, tubing, bike rides, horseback riding and many other activities could be arranged. It might be difficult at the National level, but regional and state level should be manageable. Hey we just bought two new mountain bikes yesterday! Not going to attack a razorback downhill ridge ride, but a nice ride along an old railbed, tow path sign us up.
  3. I'll chime in here. My other posts went away with the lost thread. I am 64, I have been a MH Owner for 10 years and a member of FMCA as long. Prior I sent 2o years sailing, 10 of which I lived on my boat, before that I tent camped, back-packed and truck camped. Last year at 63 years of age I attended my first FMCA or any other Rally. We did join a chapter although we have never made a rally, gathering or other meet. Seems they were almost always on dates where we were either already involved or they were on weekends. Also frankly they seemed like they were mostly 'old folks'. Our daughter turned 20 this year so we have always looked for things that she would or could be a part of. A group of people where at 60 I'd be young just didn't seem good so we spent time going to different CGs and touring when we had time. Going to a CG where we'd do what we were already doing just didn't seem like it would be worth the extra costs or days off. We really need to think about what we can offer to people. What we have is good although I admit, our first rally will likely be unique, we traded in our previous MH and drove a new Tiffin home. Not something we are likely to repeat anytime soon if ever. This year we'll be attending both a Tiffin Rally and the Indy Rally. Hopefully we'll get a better handle on what to expect and maybe get a little socializing in. Frankly I am going for seminars and gadgets. We like museums, flea markets, caverns, historic towns, and the like. three days of pickle ball is not going to attract a lot of younger people. We need to look at areas and chapters to attract younger people. A three day rally at a location near to home, 1-3 hours maximum where there is potentially a group of somewhat like minded people is what may work to attract more people. As an example, I like to shoot. I like Sporting Clays, Trap, 3-Gun, and action pistol. Not for everyone for sure. I'd love to go to a rally where we had a couple rounds of Sporting Clays. I am sure there are members that would also like this, just as I am sure there are many that would love a Texas Hold'em tournament, or a bike tour or fly fishing. We need to think of reasons besides camping that people have a MH and camp for.
  4. Glad I stumbled onto this thread here. The change to FMCA Energized is a good thing. The Under 60 half put me off. I am 64, my wife is under 60 by 12 months ( I won't tell her age!) and our daughter is 20. I believe the very survival of this organization lies in getting the average age down to the low 60's and 50's. We do need to be honest, not a lot of people in their 20s are going to be prospective members. Even 30s could be a challenge if you are in a career and starting a family. By allowing TTs in we open up the group to an incredible number of prospective members. A new MH is well over 60k for just about anything. An 'A' is in the low 100's for most. That is a very large bite for a young family. A TT can be had for under 20k that we'd have thought we died and went to heaven back in the 1960's. And like the gentleman in the earlier post said, I am NOT one of the 1%! We just made certain choices. Could have a starter castle, chose the MH instead.
  5. I own three welding helmets with #10 glass. going to get #12s
  6. OK, so are we the only FMCA people going to be in Nashville at the Two RIveres CG for the eclipse in August?
  7. Once we actually get to Nashville we'll look around for where to view. Weather sadly will be weather, whether or not we like the weather. If it is cloudy, oh well, we can't suddenly move a few hundred miles. might be able to go a hundred u or down line if it looks like it will help but we can't just move. I might have made the plans differently, but now they are what they are.
  8. Made plans to be in Nashville for the Eclipse. Figure GOA on Saturday, touristy stuff during the day Saturday and Sunday then Eclipse on Monday and head out on Tuesday. Right now still deciding on the routing. NJ to Nashville and Back. Thinking that Pigeon Forge is on the list unless we do both out and back through Kentucky. One plan has Louisville for Church Hill Downs, the Bourbon Trail, Mammoth Caves, then Nashville and back home through Pigeon Forge and up through Virginia although that route can also be done in reverse. We have reservations at Two Rivers right near Opryland. The rest is all up in the air.
  9. Call Freightliner and/or Allison You don't want to keep using it and screw it up.
  10. I can't answer your question but I sure as heck will be checking my coverage! Pay thousands for insurance one would expect to be covered for normal issues and a tire certainly would be normal, I don't know of too many vehicles that don't have them! Not like were adding on some super zoomy race accessory!
  11. . But I don't believe it's the horizontal DOT/TC cylinders you are inquiring about. I'm guessing you're concerned about those larger, horizontal propane containers typically found on motorhomes, like this one shown above.. The rules for this type of propane container are governed by ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers). ASME tanks are not required to be re-certified since they are permanently installed. But DOT/TC cylinders, both vertical and horizontal, because they can be removed, transported and filled independently, do qualify for periodic re-certification. All propane containers, tanks and cylinders, however, should be periodically inspected, cleaned and tested for leaks. All of which should be considered preventive maintenance common sense. This was found doing an internet search. I think it is from the RV Dr. Giving credit where it is due.
  12. Not a 'Competitor' here, but I enjoy shooting SC as break from shooting 3-gun and USPSA. I've only shot SC at two places, one in South Jersey near MIllville, Old Cedar, two courses through the woods. one is the Easy course, the second is actually a 2 in 1 and is much tougher. the other course is Lehigh Valley near Allentown, PA, it is buiilt in an old Quarry. A very interesting place. They have three courses running on the same trail. They even have a Heliport for those that want to fly in!
  13. I think I misspoken a bit. Age certainly has an effect on a tire and they do age out. What I was pointing out was simply that your tires can be brand new and still fail. Road Hazards or simply a bad tire. Just because your tires are not 'Old' does not mean you are exempt from issues. Few of us will wear out our tires before they get to an age where catastrophic failure is likely just driving.
  14. People talk about age when it comes to tire issues. In my experience Age has little to do with it. Bought new tires for one of my Suburbans, next day, catastrophic failure. no evidence of a curb hit or other. On my last MH about 12k miles right front tire blew out. 1" diameter hole in the sidewall. no other signs of damage. My current plan is to get a carrier and a spare, mounted. I will get the correct sockets, I already have a 42" breaker bar. I am wondering if the onboard air will run a decent air impact wrench. That would speed things up! I can use the jacks to lift the coach. I do carry a scissors jack to support the breaker bar to allow me to get maximum leverage.
  15. Interesting. Some Rock Crawlers use a forward looking camera to see where their wheels are when negotiating tough terrain. I wonder if that might not be better. I assume you are looking for when you are going slow an maneuvering in tight places.
  16. I just read a few of the more recent posts. For many years now I have kept a fuel log on my laptop. I log the miles, gallons used, cost of each fill, then using excel I calculate current tank, 4 tank, 10 tank and lifetime average. Should I get a weird reading I know that something is up. I also link the spreadsheet to a log where I record trip highlights. So here is my last trip 1966 miles at 9.08MPG. My dash computer says I should have gotten 9.7. The first tank out I showed 10+ on the dash, later I dropped down to 8.9.This got me to wondering about B20 and other mixed fuel. I believe my 1st and last tank were both straight diesel, the two in the middle were B20. Does anyone else see B20 having an adverse effect on mpg?
  17. jimnorm

    Super Singles

    Way way back, as in read 1970 or so, we had 'super singles on our camper and on one of our work trucks. NEVER AGAIN! Absolutely lousy braking. The truck with the SS tires would skid all over, the same truck with dual tires stopped much better and also had more pulling power. We did get a set of them to work on the camper, but if we could have fit dual wheels we would have done that.
  18. So here is my next question. When we registered we did not realize that we'd be expected to show up a day in advance. I suppose I should have thought about how many people would be trying to park all at once, but that is past. We will be in Mystic Monday and Tuesday nights to see the Seaport. We have already paid for a site for Monday and Tuesday nights, there figuring on driving up early on Wednesday. My arrival package says I am to show up on Tuesday or risk having to sit in a holding area while waiting to park. My question is: I can't leave Mystic early enough to get to the gathering before 5PM. If I arrive say at 8pm, will I be able to pull into the holding area and get 'in-line' early on Wednesday? Or am I better off leaving VERY early on Wednesday to arrive by 9AM? and I suppose the last part would be just cancel the Mystic Seaport stop and lose a cancellation fee for my reservation at the CG? Thanks
  19. We are heading out Monday morning and spending Tuesday at Mystic Seaport. We'll take 287N to 287E cross the Tappan Zee Bridge and on down to 95N. From Mystic we'll drive up early Wednesday to West Springfield.Seems to be a choice of CT 2 or CT 9 up to 91N. My question is which of these two are best? We are 12-6 high and will be towing our Jeep. The first part of the route, I've driven many times and know it is clear, it is the two state roads we are concerned about. Anyone with local knowledge? thanks
  20. There are a number of chapters in NJ and the surrounding states. Many people join a chapter that is in a nearby state where they may actually spend more time RVing than where they live. You might let us all know a bit more about yourself. Are you a Senior? A 30-40 something with children, how long have you been RVing? What do you like to do. All this will help you find more people. Also look at the Chapter Listings, Some are specific to a particular coach others have a particular area of interest and others are pretty eclectic.
  21. Cherry Hill is a really great place to stay to see DC. There are a few others to the south of DC that are better for visiting Mt Vernon. Not as nice as CH, but OK. Duncan Family CG in MD is OK. We used it solely as a base and did not use any amenities. The DC Metro is incredible for getting around. There are also a number of tour companies that will take you around DC by bus and guide you along, especially nice at night.
  22. I added a spare tire carrier to our rig and modified a bike rake to mount above and behind the spare. Since then I added a 3" receiver to the Jeep and install teh bike rack there. Definitely you want one that will fold down and I suggest staying away from the window mounted units.
  23. If my understanding is correct it can be lifesaving to have the breaker off before plugging in or unplugging your rig, especially at 50A. There is a thing called 'Arc Flash' and it can burn you very badly. Not common at 220v, but possible and you might not get a second chance. Technically even throwing the breaker calls for protective face shield and gloves. No I do not break out insulated gloves and a face shield, I do turn the power off.
  24. I inquired about this. I have two units, one is for the RV, the other is for my Daily Driver and my Toad. You can use one EZPass unit across multiple vehicles, but not across multiple classes of vehicle. You do have to register each vehicle against each EZPass. I can't just put my EZPass in my daughter's car unless I add it to the roster.
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