punxsyjumper

We are shooting to be in Houston Nov 4th but looks like you will be past that already. I have a friend in Houston that started a lunch earlier this year. He does Cajun food and is really doing good. Supposed to be some kind of lunch truck festival Nov 4th so we want to be there and surprise him. Here is a video he did when they first started up. If you like Cajun food, this is the real deal. I'm sure we will meet up at some point but until then, safe journey.

I'm thinking we will be passing south of Phoenix around the middle of Nov. However, we are considering going up to Phoenix to get the coach professionally detailed at ANS. That would also be around the middle of Nov. Are you a member of RVillage? We do location updates there.

Pedal power. That sounds like a good idea. Would you message me their contact info? Thanks

OK, since we are talking bikes. I have the 2 bikes and the rack (receiver mount on the back of my Toad) but would like to know if anybody can stear me towards a good cover. Looking at the Roadbag series but before ordering I thought I would check in here to see if anybody has a different option. Thanks.

You may have seen these already but if not a few come to mind. There used to be a Civil War museum in Fredericksburg VA and part of the actual wall was still when I last visited in 1981. One of the few places I like in Florida is the Castillo De San Marcos in St Augustine. When I used to go to Jacksonville I used 95 as little as possible. I actually went out of my way to go down 81 and then over. Safe journey. On a side note, have you ever considered the south west? We winter in Pahrump NV and love it. We like it way better than Florida but that's just our opinion. Safe journey.

Trying something new. Well, new for me. I'm sure it's been done many times. Here is our route for this winter. Anybody along the way? Click here for our route

Update on the update. Heading west on Sept 13. Still planning on going to SD for residency. Was going to go to Rapid City and hook up with Americas Mailbos for our mail forwarding but it was such a hassle trying to get answers to our questions so we gave up on them and went with Dakota Post. So, we will be going to Sioux Falls. I'm still dealing with this Remco disconnect issue so it looks like a stop at Des Moines IA is in order. Really getting crappy service from Remco. The plan was to go to SD, get our tags and such and head on to CA. In order to get our gun permits we have to be there for 30 days so that is going to make it a bit late for us to go to Oregon. So after our 30 days are up we will be heading south to OK to visit Sweetie Pie's cousin and then on to Houston area. The west to Lubbock for a few days and on to NM, AZ and finally Pahrump NV. Hope to meet as many good folks as we can

I play a little golf too but that windmill at the end always gives me a hard time.

Thanks Bill. Yeh, I had no problem with the original at all. When they first installed it, I had a rubbing noise when it torqued on start out. The shaft was rubbing the curved swing arm (shift fork) on the bottom when it torqued. Instead of fixing the problem then and there, they modified a piece to give it more clearance so it wouldn't hit. Great, that doesn't rub but it is still torquing and giving me a chatter. Plus, now I have a modified piece that is not made by Remco. I've spoken to 3 different machine shops (all on Remco's installer page) and all 3 said the same thing, "No way should you need to add an extra leaf". Improper install. One shop I spoke with said they get a completed drive shaft sent to them from Remco so when the customer comes in, they just swap it with the original and the customer keeps the original as a spare. This isn't over yet and like you, looks like I'm in for an ordeal. I'm not happy and they are about to find out. Maybe I should log everything in a blog, with pictures. Thanks

Total BS, it's an improper install.

I'm sure you're aware that backing up is not an option with the dolly. So, you need to be aware of your surroundings in order to prevent getting stuck and having to "unhook" to get out. Google maps (satellite view) is a great tool to use. I use it for Walmart stays as well as campgrounds or boondock sites. It's always nice to get a birds-eye view before pulling in somewhere. You can also use it for plotting a course from A to B. Good luck.

Well, I'm a little bit surprised but I got a call from Bill at Remco and was informed I am getting the vibration because my suspension isn't beefy enough. Install was done correctly but now to fix the problem, I need to install another leaf spring in my suspension.

Yep, thanks

Just a quick introduction to us. After some encouragement from another blogger (thanks Tom) I'm going to try this blogging thing and see where it goes. After 10 years of homesteading in the western PA mountains, we are switching up from growing our own veg and raising our own meat to selling it all and going full time in a 40' pusher. We bought the coach last year and left in Nov 2016. We went through OH and visited a buddy in KY. Then we went to TN and visited more friends. From there we headed to Lafayette LA to visit a good ol Cajun boy and his lovely bride. We were lucky enough to be invited to spend Thanksgiving with them and their family. From there it was west through Houston and on to San Antonio. Got to see the Alamo and then on to Lubbock to visit an old Army buddy that I hadn't seen since 1981. We planned on spending Christmas with them but after the temps got down to 8 degrees in the evening, we had an early Christmas dinner with them and hit the road. From there it was up to 4 corners and then over to Monument Valley. Snow chased us out of there as well so we wound up in Kingman AZ. From there it was on to Pahrump, NV where we spent the winter. Great place, going back this winter. From there we went to Bullhead City AZ and I attended the first RV Basics class in Chandler AZ and spent a couple days at the convention. From there it was up to Cedar City UT to check out some of the canyons and scenery. Then we left for Spokane WA and wound up replacing an alternator in Boise ID. I know the Camping World's get a bad rap but we did have a great experience at the one in Boise ID. Turns out they are the #1 rated CW in America. If you go there, ask for Claudio and tell him the Volkswagon guy sent you. Got to Spokane and spent a week. Then up through Priest River and Sandpoint ID. Over to MT and took Rt 200 down to 95 then down to Missoula where we got on 90 east. We did, Custer battlefield, Devils Tower and then the Black hills. After that we hit the Badlands and then headed back home. We are now wrapping up a few things here and planning on heading back out in Sept. Going to SD for our residency and then south. for the winter. We hope to keep everybody up to date on our route so if you see we are going to cross paths, by all means give us a holler and let's get together for a cold one. Stay tuned and stay sharp.

As a former transporter, Walmart was my main overnight spot. My GPS would tell me which ones allowed it and which ones didn't. Flying J, Pilot and other truck stops will work. Some Flying J's actually have long pull through spots designated for RV parking. It is very annoying when you come in after a day on the road and there is a long RV spot with a single car parked it it but it happens. I also stayed at Lowes, Home Depot, Sams Club. I've stayed at Cracker Barrel also. Two other good ones that come to mind are Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops. I've been in some places where none of these are available and at that point, I'm looking for anything with a big parking lot. I've done Shopping centers, grocery stores and some malls. Malls can be tough, security will usually run you out. Keep in mind, it is always good to ask and get permission. I don't buy into the whole "against the law" crap that some will tell you. Most stores are private property and the borough has nothing to do with it. It is the discretion of the manager if parking is allowed and not the local ordinances. That being said, if it says no parking or the cops ask you to move or whatever, I move. You got to pick your battles and for me, I'l go find somewhere else. I use google maps satellite view to get a bird's eye view of the parking lot before coming in. Gives me an idea of where things are. In fact on a side note, I use this google feature on everything, especially coming into a campground or an area I've never been before. It has saved me numerous times from getting stuck and having to unhook to get out. I did see a post on the forum about somebody asking about parking a big rig at Wall Drug in SD. This is a great tool for stuff like this. Interstate rest areas are an option but don't be surprised if a trucker pulls in next to you and fires up his generator to watch a movie or something. I'm not transporting anymore but Sweetie Pie and I have a 40' pusher with toad. We use Walmarts quite a bit in between campgrounds. We are never in a hurry to get anywhere so we will stay at a campground for at least 2 nights and a Walmart in between. I think it is a great service by Walmart but like most things, it tends to get abused. This abuse could eventually put an end to it and the few will ruin it for the rest of us. It's NOT camping, it's a place to park for the night. I don't run my slides out or any awnings. It would be a lot easier for us by running the bedroom slide out but we don't. If Sweetie Pie needs to get up at night, she just has to crawl over me to do it. Not a bad thing, wink wink. I look for a level spot and if there isn't one, I go somewhere else. I never put down my landing gear while parked there. I don't leave my steps hanging out either. We have 2 dogs so I look for a place close to some grass or a place they can go. At Walmart, I try to get close to the garden center for the free wifi. We ALWAYS cater to the establishment even if it is just buying some oil, paper towels or anything that you are going to use at some point. Walmart has an RV section and for me, I always buy a jug of DEF. Long winded I know but that is my take on it. I'm not telling people what to do, just saying how we do it. Stay sharp.

New to RV'ng and only recently learned about Blue Beacon. Have never tried one yet but looks like I never will. Thanks

Have you ever considered the southwest for your wintering? We found a great park in Pahrump, NV last winter. We liked it so much, we will be there again this year scheduled to arrive Dec 1st. There are warmer places down in AZ but an occassional 40 degree night is not a problem for us. The snow mainly stays above 3,000' and the park is at about 2300'. No snow at the park but as you can see, it's nice to look up and see it on the mountain tops. Safe journey and stay sharp.

After talking with Bill at Remco, it looks like I may have an improper install. He said there is no need for an extra leaf spring with their product and that it def should not be giving me the vibration on a start out. As an old dragster, we always had to deal with torque causing wheel hop or axle wrap. Torsion bars and ladders bars were a good fix. That is exactly what this problem reminds me of, wheel hop. Since none of you mentioned having wheel hop with your vehicle it tells me you had it done right. The garage I went to is on Remco's list of installers but they may soon be off of that list. I'll keep you updated. Thanks Guys.

Yes, the shop that did the install had to shop it out to a machine shop. They cut the end off the drive shaft and welded the Remco piece on and balanced it. Thanks for the info.

OK Guys, I got the Remco disconnect installed on the truck. After instalation, I noticed a rubbing noise upon a crisp (or quick) pull out. Took it back and the shop fixed it. Turns out, with a Nissan Frontier it is a solid meet up with the drive shaft to rear but the Remco uses a uni joint so it's not solid anymore. Now when you start out, the torque moves the uni joint upwards and it was causing the rubbing noise. Got the noise problem resolved but I still have a vibration or axle wrap. It's only on a hard pull out. I'm told the fix is an extra leaf spring added under the main leaf. That will resolve the vibe issue but also give me a stiffer ride. The other option is a Roadmaster Active Suspension. Did anybody else have to beef up the rear suspension with this disconnect? I'm going to call tomorrow and talk with them about it. https://activesuspension.com/

Sure, I can do that but I'd need some instruction on the blog thing. Would anybody be interested?

While in Cedar City Utah, we also visited Kolob Canyon and saw the pectrogliphs at Parawan Gap. Great stuff

Just an update. We 86'ed our plans to go to the New England states in the fall. We are getting a few things in order and then about the last week of Sept, we are heading west to SD via St Louis, MO. Was going to head west on 80 but I'm going to avoid the Chicago area. That stretch from Gary IN to Joliet IL is a nightmare on it's best day. So, since Sweetie Pie has never seen the arch, we will drop south, check it out then on to SD for residency. Then it's west to OR, south through CA and back east at Bakersfield to Pahrump, NV. Scheduled to be there Dec 1st till June. After that we will be working our way up through CO and planning on being in Gillette WY for the convention. If you think our paths will cross, send a shoutout and let's meet. Safe journey and as always, stay sharp.

Just an update. We 86'ed our plans to go to the New England states in the fall. We are getting a few things in order and then about the last week of Sept, we are heading to SD via St Louis, MO. Was going to head west on 80 but I'm going to avoid the Chicago area. That stretch from Gary IN to Joliet IL is a nightmare on it's best day. So, since Sweetie Pie has never seen the arch, we will drop south, check it out then on to SD for residency. Then it's west to OR, south through CA and back east at Bakersfield to Pahrump, NV. Scheduled to be there Dec 1st till June. After that we will be working our way up through CO and planning on being in Gillette WY for the convention. If you think our paths will cross, send a shoutout and let's meet. Safe journey and as always, stay sharp.